Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not now nor have I ever owned Naruto or any characters therein. This disclaimer covers this and any future chapters, as I do not feel like repeating myself.

**A/N**: Hello, Ronin504 here to welcome you to my first fanfic. I've been reading the fics on this site for a few months now and I've finally decided to try my hand. I'd appreciate any constructive criticism you may offer. Please keep in mind that I am not a professional and that this is my first attempt at writing. That being said on to the story.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 1

On a bridge in Wave country, a battle that would forever change the fate of a young boy was quickly drawing to a close.

"I don't understand! Is serving Zabuza the only reason you have to live?" yelled the blond. "Something other than being his tool. You could be acknowledged by someone else."

The feminine boy shook his head. "The day I met you in the forest, I knew you were like me. You should be able to understand." He said in a soft tone. "I'm sorry that you will have to stain your hands."

"Is this really the only way?" Naruto asked.

"Yes!" was Haku's emphatic response. "Please fulfill your own dreams."

Naruto stared at the young man. Drawing a kunai, he strengthened his resolve. Looking back at the prone form of his teammate, he replied "He… Sasuke also had a dream." Turning to face Haku again, he continued, "If we met someplace else we might've become friends."

"Thank you." Haku said. "You will become strong." he thought.

As Naruto rushed forward with his kunai raised to end the boys life, the sound of a thousand birds chirping echoed across the bridge. A look of shocked realization flashed across Haku's face. Reacting with a speed born of training and honed by desperation, he deftly brought his left hand down and grabbed Naruto by the wrist. "Huh?" Naruto gasped.

"Sorry Naruto-kun!" Haku exclaimed while rapidly forming one-handed seals. "I can't die yet!" And just like that, he vanished into an ice mirror leaving Naruto behind.

"What?!" Naruto yelled. Naruto's rage began to build as his mind raced. "After all that he just left. Was it a trick? Was he just stalling? That bastard!" he thought. Red chakra bursting from his small form, Naruto took off. Moving faster than he had ever moved in his life he rocketed toward the scene of his sensei's battle against Zabuza.

Kakashi dashed toward Zabuza, His Chidori engulfing his hand with electrical energy. Just as he moved to strike, an ice mirror formed in his path. From it emerged Haku looking to shield his master with his life. In the instant before the blow connected, a red blur slammed into Haku. Blood flew through the air and lightning was discharged as a scream of torment rang out across the bridge. Kakashi could only look on in horror as his student writhed in agony, his hand buried to the wrist in Naruto's gut.

"Naruto no!" Kakashi yelled.

Finally, in a flash of red light, the screaming stopped. For a minute the only sound heard was the ragged breathing of the combatants. Haku looked down at the smoking form of the boy. Shaking his head in denial, he muttered "No I… This wasn't… I didn't mean," Jerking his head around he stared pleadingly at Kakashi. "He was not supposed to imterfere! Why did he do that? It should have been me!" he exclaimed.

"My future is death?" Zabuza smirked. "Heh. You're wrong again Kakashi."

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Sakura peered into the mist, her senses alert for any indication of an incoming attack. Tazuna the bridge builder stood behind her trying to see what might be coming. Both were on edge, not knowing what was happening to the other members of Team 7 grating at their nerves. As they looked on the view began to clear until they could see figures moving in the mist. To their surprise, the mist dissipated just in time for them to see Kakashi with his hand wrist deep in Naruto's stomach. "Kami no" cried Sakura. As they looked on with Naruto screaming in agony, the strange red chakra that enveloped Naruto started to pulse. The pulsing grew in strength until there was a flash of red light. When their vision cleared, they saw Naruto lying in a smoking heap at Kakashi's feet.

"What the hell was that?" exclaimed Tazuna. It shook him to the core to see the boy who until then seemed to burn with barely contained energy lying so still.

Sakura was also in shock. Her teammate who she had finally started to warm up to and maybe even respect was lying so still. The sight chilled her to the bone. "How could this happen? This can't be real. No. No!" she thought. Her heart and mind raced until the stress became too much. She finally gave in and screamed, "NARUTO!"

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Kakashi quickly put his grief aside and assessed the situation. To his left stood a seemingly shell shocked Haku while an injured, but still combat capable, Zabuza stood a few feet in front of him. Weighing his options and deciding Haku was the bigger threat, Kakashi made his move. He turned and rushed Haku while launching a kunai at Zabuza. As Zabuza dodged the deadly missile, Kakashi's shoulder slammed the stunned boy in the gut, launching him over the rail of the bridge.

"I sure picked something useful but the boy never could kill that soft heart." laughed Zabuza. "Now Copycat lets finish this." Zabuza cocked his great blade over his shoulder as he ran at his enemies exposed back. Hearing Zabuza approach Kakashi narrowed his focus to his opponent. He leaped onto the bridge railing and back-flipped over the zanbato. The great blade tore through the rail like paper. The precious seconds it took the nuke-nin to recover cost him dearly. After grabbing two kunai in midair, Kakashi sliced the muscles and tendons in both of Zabuza's shoulders as he came down. Kubakiri Honcho slammed into the ground just as the one-eyed nin put a kunai to Zabuza's throat.

"Sakura take Tazuna and go check on Sasuke."

"H… Hai!" came her choked response. Sakura took-off towards the scene of Sasuke's battle with Tazuna in tow. Sakura reached Sasuke only to find his seemingly lifeless body. Multiple senbon needles could be seen sticking out from his still form. "He's cold. This isn't an illusion." Sakura whispered. "I thought I was so smart but in the end I couldn't do anything."

Tazuna saw the pain in the young kunoichi's eyes and could only turn away in sympathy. "Don't mind me. It's best to just let it out and cry." he said.

Sakura knelt by her crushes side with tears flowing down her face. "You know in school we learn the Shinobi Code. Rule 25 states that you must make the mission the top priority and you must possess a heart that never shows tears. No matter what the situation a shinobi must keep emotions on the inside." she explained. Sakura folded her arms over Sasuke's chest and proceeded to cry out her pain. Tazuna could only look on in bemusement and wonder at the harsh life of a ninja.

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Meanwhile, Kakashi could only wonder at the fate of his students. As he prepared to end Zabuza's life, he heard clapping from behind him. "Ooh your getting your ass kicked, how disappointing. So much for the Bloody Demon of the Mist. You're more like a baby devil." laughed Gatou.

"Gatou", yelled Zabuza. "What the hell are you doing here and what's with all these men?" Zabuza and Kakashi look at the small army of thugs blocking the bridge.

"Well you see the plan has changed," replied Gatou. "Actually I guess I planned to do this from the start. You see you nuke-nin are good but you are to expensive. So I came up with a way to cut cost. I had hoped you would have killed the others but I guess that was to much to ask. Now I'll just have to have you all killed. Where is that little apprentice of yours? I owe that bastard for what he did to my arm. Don't tell me he died already? I had hoped to kill him myself, after a proper beating of course." The evil little man smirked.

"Kakashi" whispered Zabuza, "Our fight is over. The little shit double-crossed me so I don't owe him anything. Why don't you lend me a kunai and sit back while I settle up with the midget." Kakashi gave Zabuza a hard stare before he released him and tossed him his kunai. Zabuza caught the kunai in his mouth and ran towards Gatou. No one notices Haku climbing over the edge of the bridge. Just as Zabuza reached the bandits on the bridge, Gatou pulled out a crossbow and let lose at his former employee. Zabuza, unable to dodge due to his injuries and the press of bodies around him, took the bolt through his chest. Zabuza fell to the ground coughing up blood but still fighting to reach Gatou.

Haku looked on in shock. He had heard everything on his climb up the bridge. All of their work, all of Zabuza-sama's sacrifices and it was for nothing. Haku looked at Gatou with murder in his eyes. He would not let that little troll win. Oh, no Gatou would lose it all this day. Haku quickly formed an ice mirror and transported behind Gatou. Pulling out a senbon he leaned over and whispered in the ear of the oblivious dwarf, "You will pay for harming Zabuza-sama you little worm. Your life is now forfeit. See you in hell." With those parting words, Haku stabbed Gatou in the base of his skull killing him instantly. "This death was to swift for the likes of you but I have more important matters to attend to." Haku then formed several hand seals and whispered "Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death." Water gathered in the air forming a thousand needles that flew through the air impaling the thugs around his master. Everyone turned at the attack to stare at the furious shinobi.

The mercenaries saw the body of their former boss and shouted in rage. One thug spoke up, taking charge. "Hey. That bastard killed our meal ticket. Get that fucker. After we kill him and the rest of these damned ninja, I say we rape, pillage and slaughter our way through this miserable village till we've had our fill." The rest of the bandits yell out their agreement and split up. Twenty of them rush towards Haku while the rest head towards Kakashi and his students

Before the mercenaries get more than a few steps, a crossbow bolt whistled through the air striking the bridge between them. Everyone on the bridge turned to see Inari flanked by all the men from the village. "If you touch anyone here or come any further onto our island the citizens of this country will stop you with everything we've got!" Inari shouted. He was further backed up by a roar of agreement from the gathered men, all of them wielding various tools, spears and axes.

The mercenaries turned around having felt the temperature drop. There stood Haku surrounded by a multitude of wickedly sharp ice daggers. Realizing their severe disadvantage, the unofficial leader of the group said what they had all been thinking. "RETREAT!" With this, all the bandits broke out of their stupor and fled leaving a trail of dust in their wake. The villagers saw this and cheered.

"It looks like it's over." Kakashi turned back to see a smiling Sakura helping an injured, exhausted and very much alive Sasuke over to him. Tazuna stood by Inari beaming proudly down at his grandson. Kakashi felt his relief quickly dissipate as he turned and looked at his third student. "Naruto", gasped Kakashi. He quickly shifted to a businesslike manner as he turned to Sakura. "Bring me the medical supplies now." He turned to Tazuna asking, "Is there a doctor or someone with medical training nearby?"

Before Tazuna could respond one of the villagers forced his way to the front of the crowd. "Let me see him. My name is Yunpei and I have medical training." Yunpei swiftly got to work checking Naruto over doing his best to halt the flow of blood and stabilize his patient. After a few minutes, he sighed and shook his head. Turning to Kakashi and the two nervously watching genin Yunpei could only reply, "It's not good. I did what I could but we do not have the facilities or the supplies to handle this kind of injury. Not only that but he has a high fever and I don't know the cause."

"Maybe I can help." Said a teary-eyed Haku as he made his way to the front of the crowd. "I have medic training. Please let me help him." After receiving a hard look and a terse nod from Kakashi the young nin quickly went to work. Kakashi watched him like a hawk as Haku channeled green medical chakra around his hands. Moving briskly and with assurance the boy ran his hands over Naruto's belly. Having completed his diagnostic he spoke while he worked. "Naruto has lost a lot of blood. He has electrical burns on his intestines and a lacerated liver. I can fix this but I'll need some blood pills for him and a soldier pill to replenish my chakra." Kakashi nodded and handed over the medical bag. Haku continued, "The major problem is that he's suffering from a dangerously high fever that seems to be caused by some type of chakra poisoning. If he is kept cool, I can keep his temperature stable but the rest is beyond what I can heal. To fix the poisoning he needs access to a real medical facility and someone more knowledgeable about this sort of illness than I am." Haku quickly completed his treatment of Naruto and turn to Team 7. "I want you to know that I never meant for this to happen. You have my most heartfelt apology. My only wish was to serve Zabuza-sama but in the end, I could not save him. Before he died, he told me that he always thought of me as a son. He told me to find a reason to live. I wish to atone for our actions here. That is why, with the permission of the villagers, I wish to stay here and make amends." Saying this he turned and bowed to Tazuna. "I would like to stay and serve as a medic and if necessary protect this village with my life in penance for the crimes we have committed against you. I can only hope that Naruto-kun would approve and maybe we can be forgiven ."

Everyone gather looked to Tazuna for his response. After staring grimly at the young man for a moment, he spoke. "I suppose that is possible. But understand it may be a while until we trust you."

Haku smiled. "I understand. All I ask is for the chance to make things right."

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Team 7, Haku, Tazuna and his family returned to Tazuna's home. Haku tended to Kakashi's and Sasuke's injuries. Kakashi then asked for a report of the events of their earlier battle. After listening to details from both of the young nin he dismissed Sasuke to get some rest. Kakashi and Haku then went to check on Naruto. "So Haku what is Naruto's status?" questioned Kakashi.

"I was able to heal most of his injuries and bring his temperature down. When he wakes he should still rest for a few days before getting up and nothing strenuous for at least another week after that. There is however something that concerns me. During our fight, Naruto drew on this strange red chakra. While working on him I noticed a seal on his stomach. The seal has taken damage, most likely from your lightning attack." Kakashi started at this information. Haku looked worriedly at the one-eyed nin before continuing. "The red chakra appears to be the cause of his chakra poisoning and the seal seems to be source."

"Thank you for telling me Haku." At this Kakashi leaned over Haku and stared him in the eyes. "Now I must ask that you avoid mentioning the red chakra again. This is an internal matter that will be dealt with by Konoha." Having said this he backed off and nodded at Haku. "I appreciate your help in taking care of my student." Both nin turned as Sakura opened the door to call everyone to dinner.

Dinner that evening was subdued. Kakashi had filled everyone in on Naruto's condition. Team 7 made plans to leave as soon as the bridge was completed, as they wanted to get Naruto to Konoha as soon as possible. Tazuna promised to have construction finished in a few days. After dinner, while everyone retired to their beds, Kakashi stayed behind to compose a report to the Sandiame informing him of resent events. Having completed his task, he summoned his fastest ninken with instructions to take the letter directly to the Hokage as fast as possible. As he looked up at the moon, Kakashi sighed hoping that the Hokage would be able to set things right and that his sensei could forgive him for nearly losing his son.

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Hours before dawn the following morning, the Third Hokage awoke to scratching at his window. Getting to his feet, he headed to the window surprised as he recognized one of Kakashi's ninken summons. Having received the report he thanked the dog and dismissed him. Knowing it must be important he swiftly read the report. Shaking in fear and barely contained anger Sarutobi quickly strode to his office and pulled a scroll from a hidden compartment in his desk. Swiping blood across the seal and channeling a bit of chakra, a small toad appeared in a puff of smoke. Forestalling any questions Sarutobi hurriedly exclaimed, "Find Jiraiya and have him to return to Konoha immediately. Tell him I said that if he wastes time we may very well lose Minato's Legacy." As the toad summons dispersed, Sarutobi could only think to himself that their troubles were only beginning.

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**A/N: Well that wraps up the first chapter. I hope that you liked the story enough to give it a chance. I would appreciate any feedback, as I am trying to hone my writing skills. I don't know how regular updates will be as things never go as I plan, but I'm shooting for monthly updates. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I would like to thank those of you who reviewed. Your feedback is always appreciated even if it is negative. It's the only way I'll grow as a writer. I was actually surprised that a few people actually added my story to their favorites. You all have no idea what that means to me. Anyway enough of me, here is the next chapter. Enjoy.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 2

Four days had passed since the events on the bridge and everyone had been busy. Haku had buried Zabuza and tended to Naruto. Tazuna hurried to finish the bridge under the watchful eyes of Team 7 who, when not guarding him, were training under Kakashi. However everyone was concerned about Naruto, as he had shown no sign of awakening.

That evening Tazuna announced that the bridge would be completed the following morning. Kakashi had Sakura and Sasuke start packing while he consulted Haku about preparing Naruto for travel.

The next day Haku, Tazuna and his family all gathered at the edge of the bridge to see the Konoha nin off. Naruto had been wrapped with a sheet containing icepacks provided by Haku. He was then bound to Kakashi's back for the trip.

Tazuna stepped forward and looked at Naruto one last time. He bowed his head and said, "This is sad. Thanks to you, we completed the bridge but the price was almost too high. I offer my super sincere apologies for lying to you and I hope that boy recovers. The people of Wave can never fully repay you for what you have done but you have our gratitude." Tazuna stepped back putting his arm around a crying Inari.

Haku stepped forward and bowed. "I wish things were different, but the past is done. From now on I will serve the people of Wave country and try to atone for my and Zabuza-sama's actions. When Naruto recovers tell him I'm sorry and that I hope he fulfills his dream." Having finished he returned to Tazuna's side.

Team 7 turned and began their journey home. As the group watched them go Tazuna remarked, "That boy changed Inari's heart and Inari changed the peoples heart. That boy gave us a bridge to hope called courage."

Inari turned to his grandpa and asked, "Oh yeah, we need a name for the bridge. What do we call it?"

"Well I have a super perfect name for it. In honor of his sacrifice and in hope this bridge, like that boys resolve, will never crumble how about we call it The Great Naruto Bridge." Everyone agreed that it was the perfect name.

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The journey home for Team 7 was a quiet one. Naruto's injury had cast a pall over their victory. The two younger nin had realized that the life of a shinobi was uncertain and that they were not as invincible as they thought. In the meantime, Kakashi reflected on the job he had done as their jounin sensei. He couldn't help but think that he hadn't adequately prepared them and that maybe he should have done more to train them individually. The teamwork exercises he put them though were all necessary, as they needed to rely on and protect each other. Though they showed potential, he could never get them to mesh perfectly. However, in hindsight maybe he had been too focused on the team and not on their individual growth. Kakashi resolved to correct that as soon as possible.

Sakura was worried. While Naruto wasn't one of her favorite people, she didn't want him to get hurt. Sure, he was a pest and got on her nerves but he was her teammate. Now here he was injured and not waking up and it left her feeling surprisingly guilty. She had never treated him very well and often hit him for petty reasons. He just made it so easy to lash out at him. He never tried to stop her or even defend himself. Though she would never say it aloud, Naruto's constant attention always made her feel better about herself. This was especially true when Sasuke had spurned her advances. Sakura could only pray that the blond goof would be ok. This mission had shown her more about shinobi life than any book could prepare her for and she was beginning to think that maybe she wasn't quite ready.

As they ran along the road to Konoha, Sasuke thought about his team. Kakashi had shown that he was indeed a formidable ninja even if he was a lazy pervert. Sakura was just as useless as always but that was no surprise. No, the one who surprised him was Naruto. His strategy against Zabuza to free Kakashi, being able to match him to learn tree climbing, and finally beating that fake hunter-nin Haku surprised him. Naruto was shaping up to be a much better ninja than he had given him credit for. This left Sasuke feeling unsettled. He was beginning to feel a certain bond with the blond dobe and he wasn't sure what to do. After his brother killed their clan, Sasuke had vowed to kill him at all cost. Before he had always felt that the other genin were weak and would hold him back but now he was starting to wonder if maybe in Naruto he had found some one he could measure himself against. Sasuke turn to look at Naruto's still form strapped to their sensei's back. He silently hoped the idiot recovered. He would hate to lose the one person he could consider a rival.

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A slightly weary Team 7 reached the gates of Konoha a day later. Kakashi led his team up to the two chuunin guards. "Team 7 checking in. We have one injured and will be going to the hospital." Kakashi reported. "Could you send a message to the Hokage and let him know we have arrived?"

One of the chuunin nodded after checking their credentials and waved them through as the other raced of in the direction of the Hokage Tower. Team 7 made their way to the hospital. Once there, the nurses quickly got Naruto checked in and into a room. Having gotten his student settled in Kakashi dismissed his other two students telling them to get some rest. "There will be no missions until I speak with Hokage-sama. In the meantime, if you want to train I can make arrangements for you. " Seeing the uncertain look on Sakura's face, he told her, "Ma ma, don't worry. I'm sure Naruto will be fine. I'll let you know as soon as there is any news. Get some rest and I'll see you both tomorrow. "

With that, Sasuke and Sakura left the hospital. As they were about to part ways, Sakura turned to Sasuke and asked, "Sasuke-kun do you really think Naruto will be alright?"

Sasuke paused for a moment then replied, "Kakashi-sensei said he'd be fine. Go home. If you're that worried then train to get stronger so you can actually contribute to the mission next time." Sasuke turned and headed home, leaving a hurt and guilty Sakura behind.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, the Hokage had just reached Naruto's room. He checked with the nervous doctor who had been treating the boy and could only give him disturbing news. "Hokage-sama based on what Kakashi-san has told us and the preliminary test the boys fever is being caused by a constant influx of IT's chakra. It appears the seal has been damaged though to what extent I cannot say. Unfortunately the problem cannot be corrected medically. Only a seal expert would be able to correct the problem. All we can do is keep his temperature at a manageable level and even then if something isn't done soon he'll likely die of chakra poisoning."

Upon hearing, the news Sarutobi's visage became grim. He thanked the doctor before ushering him out of the room and locking the door. After quickly scanning the room, Sarutobi activated a privacy jutsu. He turned to Kakashi and with a stony look said, "Now report. Tell me exactly how this happened."

Kakashi stood at attention with an expressionless look on his face. He related the events of the mission, omitting no detail. After listening to his report, Sarutobi glared at the elite jounin. "First let me say considering the circumstances your team did well. Defeating an A class missing nin and his protégé is no small feat. Having said that, your profound lack of judgment disturbs me. You should have returned to the village upon uncovering Tazuna's deceit or at the very least requested backup. That you did neither and left the decision to continue on to your students makes me question your fitness to lead a genin squad. That said I agree that freeing the people of Wave was a worthwhile endeavor." The Hokage sighed.

"Beyond that when you became injured in your fight with Zabuza you still refused to send for aid. The training you gave your squad should have been completed before they ever left Konoha. While I understand your reasons for focusing on teamwork, it is obvious that neither Naruto and Sakura were sufficiently skilled to handle the situation. Had this been a normal C ranked mission then I could overlook the lack of individual training. That you continued on with the mission knowing the extent of their deficiencies…" Sarutobi shook his head. "Very well. Report with your team tomorrow at the tower. I will consider what to do with you in the meantime."

With that dismissal, he watched Kakashi leave the room. Turning back Sarutobi asked seemingly to thin air. "So did you hear enough?" The air distorted to reveal a large white haired man wearing garb reminiscent of a kabuki actor.

"I don't know sensei. While I can't really fault him on trying to get them to work together the fact is he neglected their individual abilities." Jiraiya turned and began examining the comatose boy. A few minutes passed as he stared intently at the seal on Naruto's stomach. "The damage to the seal is irreversible."

Sarutobi's eyes widened. "Is there a danger that the Nine tails will be released?"

"I don't think so. Minato's design was and still is the most brilliant sealing work I have ever seen. What's left of the seal seems to be keeping the beast locked away. The problem is the portion of the seal that drains it's chakra into Naruto's coils has been damaged. I don't think I can totally stop the flow but I think I can come up with something that will minimize the amount of pure demon chakra in his system. If I can do that he should be able to adapt and cope with what leaks through."

Sarutobi was relieved that Naruto would recover but he couldn't help feeling concerned. "Would the demonic chakra influence Naruto in any way?" he questioned. "As much as I care for the boy I can't risk the safety of the village. If he gives into the Kyuubi it wont matter if the seal contains it. He could very well become a big enough threat himself."

Jiraiya started to protest but hesitated. While Naruto was his godson, he owed it to Minato to make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain. "Give me two days to research the seals and come up with something. I have some ideas but I need to check Minato's notes and do some calculations." Climbing out the window, Jiraiya looked back at his former teacher. "You just keep the vultures away from my godson. Kami knows what they will come up with when word gets out." Thinking for a second he continued, "Don't be to hard on Kakashi. As much as he's responsible for this mess, I can't bring myself to condemn him for his actions. We all know he has his issues and he meant well. Maybe this will shake him out of his preoccupation with the past." With that, Jiraiya disappeared.

Sarutobi stood gazing at Naruto for a time. "I hope he's right my boy. I hate to think we could have let Minato down this badly." Sarutobi then left the room to prepare for the firestorm the news would bring.

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The following day was as stressful as Sarutobi had suspected it would be. Word had spread about Naruto being injured. Though he was able to keep the fact that the seal was damaged from the general population, he could not keep the information totally contained. Which is why he found himself in a meeting with the three people he least wanted to see at the moment. While he still liked and respected his two former teammates, Homura and Kohaku, too often he found them on the opposite side of village issues. This was especially true when said issues involved Konoha's resident jinchuriki. This being said, Sarutobi had no doubt they had the best interest of the village at heart. The third person in his office was a different story. Danzo may have cared for Konoha once but Sarutobi was beginning to suspect that the village had begun to take a backseat to the mans own ambitions.

After some brief small talk, Sarutobi decided to get to the point. "I suppose you are here because you have heard news of Naruto's injury".

At the abrupt change of conversation, Homura adjusted his glasses and then spoke. "Yes it is true. We are … concerned, Hiruzen. As you know, we were never in favor of Uzumaki being able to leave the village and now with the damage the seal has sustained it is of utmost importance that we find a way to deal with the situation. "

"Understand, while we have no animosity to the boy, we believe it is vital to the security of the village that he be protected. Just think, things could have been worse. If another village gained control over him or Kami forbid he was killed, the Kyuubi could be released. We have to be certain that he does not pose a threat to the village. We no longer have the Yondaime to deal with the beast. " Kohaku added.

"Yes. It is our recommendation that Uzumaki be stripped of his ninja status and be confined to the village. We cannot risk the consequences should the worst happen. " continued Homura.

Sarutobi stared at the two for a moment before turning to Danzo. "Well I suppose since you're here you agree with their assessment?" questioned Sarutobi. To his surprise, Danzo merely shook his head.

"No Sarutobi, actually I believe the boy could be an asset to the village with the right training." , Danzo replied. "It was a mistake to entrust the boy to Hatake. Uzumaki needed a firm hand and discipline. If he recovers from this then give him to me. I'll turn him into a shinobi that will have our enemies trembling in fear. Otherwise should the seal be damaged beyond repair or he prove unstable then simply eliminate him before he becomes a problem."

The Third slammed his hand on his desk. "I've told you before Danzo. I will not have that boy or any of my ninja turned into emotionless weapons. That particular subject is closed. As far as Naruto being a danger, well, should it become necessary I will do what is best for the village. However, I won't needlessly sacrifice the boy. I will reserve judgment until I hear from Jiraiya." Turning to his two friends, he softened his demeanor slightly. "In regards to your recommendation, I will take it under advisement but, as always I will make the final decision. Now, if that is all, we will bring this meeting to close as I have much to do. " Having said this, he dismissed the three obviously unsatisfied advisors.

"At least that's over", he thought. "Now if only Jiraiya can help the boy things can get back to normal."

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Only a few hours had past when the remainder of Team 7 entered the Hokage's office. Sarutobi took several puffs of his pipe as he considered what to do with them. "As you know Naruto is injured and has yet to awaken. However we are confident that he will soon recover." At this Sakura let out a sigh of relief. Though she was still concerned, if the Hokage said Naruto would get better then everything would work out right?

"Now, after giving it some thought, I have decided against assigning you any missions. Instead I believe your team should use this time for individual instruction." At this, he glanced at Kakashi who could barely suppress a slight wince. "Your sensei will use this time to bolster your strengths and help to minimize your weaknesses. Once Naruto recovers, you will have a week to readjust to being a team while Naruto receives additional training as well. You may then be assigned missions should your sensei deem you ready."

Sasuke was looking forward to the training with anticipation. While it was good to hear Naruto would recover, he could not deny being excited about being trained by the elite jounin. Without the dobe and the fan girl, his strength would definitely increase. Sakura on the other hand was not so thrilled. While she did not have a problem with receiving training, if they were trained individually, that might cut into her time with Sasuke.

"Hai Hokage-sama.", Team 7 replied.

As they prepared to leave Kakashi saw the Hokage motion him to stay. Turning to his team, he gave them their orders. "Meet me at training ground 7 in one hour."

"Hai sensei.", came the genin's reply. The jounin closed the door after they left and turned to face his commander.

"You wish to see me Hokage-sama?"

"Kakashi I'm giving you another chance. These children need you to prepare them for their lives as shinobi. If you fail as their teacher, it's not just a black mark in your file. As you have seen your actions or inactions have consequences." At this Kakashi bowed his head. "I know you have issues with your past team and I understand. However, your current team needs you now. Give them the tools they need to survive and grow to be proud Leaf ninja. I know you have what it takes or I would never have trusted you with a genin squad, let alone the last Uchiha and Konoha's jinchuriki. Now go and prove to me my faith was not misplaced."

Listening to the old Fire Shadow speak touched something in Kakashi. He would not fail again. He would mold his students into strong ninja. The potential was there, he just had to bring it to the surface. He owed it to all those who died so he could go on, he owed it to his team, and most of all he owed it to himself. "I wont let you down Hokage-sama. I'll do what I can to put the past behind me. I owe it to Naruto if nothing else."

"I know you will my boy. Now go"

"Hai!"

Sarutobi smiled as he watched Kakashi leave. The boys will of fire had nearly been extinguished after all his personal tragedies, but this was just the wakeup call he needed. Now if Jiraiya could just repair the seal things could improve for everyone involved.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sakura and Sasuke were speechless. Kakashi had given them an hour to be at the training ground but they assumed he would show up a few hours later. Needless to say, they were astonished to see their sensei waiting patiently for them as they arrived.

Kakashi smiled at the two young nin before adopting a serious expression. "Have a seat and we will get started." After they had seated themselves, he bowed down in front of them, shocking his students. "I owe you two an apology. It was my duty to see that you were prepared for any mission we undertook and in that, I failed. Naruto was injured and you could have been killed due to my negligence. For that I beg your forgiveness."

Sakura, seeing Sasuke silently watching the jounin, decided to speak for them both. "Please sensei we forgive you." Kakashi smiled at his student as she pulled him to his feet. Once again adopted a serious expression.

"From now on we will do things differently. From this point on, I will try to be on time. You will be receiving individual instruction that's tailored to your strengths while improving your weaknesses." Sasuke, upon hearing this smirked while glancing at Sakura. Kakashi noticing the unspoken insult turned glaring at the boy and continued. "And believe me you both have weaknesses."

Sasuke was transfixed by his sensei's glare and could only look away. "Hn.", he scoffed, more to salvage his pride than any real desire to argue.

Kakashi rose an created a Shadow clone. Both Kakashi's looked at his students before one took Sakura and the other took Sasuke. The one with Sakura walked over by the bank of a river cutting through the training ground. "Sit down Sakura. We need to talk." Sakura sat with a look of concern marring her features. "Sakura are you serious about being a ninja?"

"Of course sensei. Why …"

Kakashi held up his hand to silence her. "Sakura I'm not asking you this lightly. You are a brilliant girl and have the potential to be a first rate kunoichi but I don't feel that you are applying yourself. This crush you have on Sasuke is absorbing to much of your attention. Right now, your main focus should be on getting stronger to survive what will come your way. Not only that but because of your need for acceptance from him you are alienating your other teammate." Sakura looked at Kakashi with tears in her eyes. "I don't mean that you have to give up your feelings for the boy but from now on, while training and on missions you need to focus on the task at hand. Leave romantic notions for your time off in the village. If there is a disagreement I hope you would side with who you feel is truly right and not Sasuke just because you want him to notice you."

Having listened to her sensei's words Sakura's face turned red in embarrassment. Up until now that was exactly what she had been doing. Like the decision to keep going to Wave, she had let her own misgivings fall to the side so as not to hinder Sasuke who wanted to continue. And of course, anytime he and Naruto argued she unerringly jumped to agree with or defend the object of her affections.

"Kakashi relented after seeing the look of misery on the girls face. "Look Sakura I'm not telling you this to hurt your feelings or make you feel weak. You have seen how missions can take a turn for the worse. Sometimes the only thing separating you and your team from failure or death are the skills I will be teaching you. If you neglect your training then how can you hope to protect your team and accomplish your mission. I may not have been the best sensei but I'm trying to change that. I have faith in you Sakura and I promise to help you become the strong kunoichi I know you can be."

Hearing her teacher's words of encouragement went a long way towards pulling the girl out of her depression. "Do you really thinks I can be that strong? That I can be a good kunoichi?', she asked hesitantly.

"I know you can.", he replied. "I wont lie to you it will take hard work. Some days you may even hate me, but if you give me your all I will help you get stronger. Would Sasuke or Naruto do any less?"

Hearing mention of the two boys awoke a feeling in Sakura that had only previously applied to her rivalry with Ino. A passion and will to succeed that burned in the girls emerald eyes. Looking at her teacher, who was offering her everything that first made her want to be a ninja, there was only one thing she could say. "When do we start sensei?"

Meanwhile, Kakashi's talk with Sasuke was not going as well. "Sasuke your biggest weakness is your arrogance." At this the young genin frowned. Kakashi continued, "You underestimate the strength of your teammates and overestimate your own. Yes you are talented but don't be so quick to dismiss what your team has to offer. Not even your brother got to where he is alone. He had the help and support of the people around him." Sasuke tensed and glared at the mention of his brother. "Yes I know about what happened and I know that it is your brother you want to kill but right now you are a genin. You don't have the strength or the experience to take him on."

Hearing this caused Sasuke to scowl at his teacher. "You know nothing!" the Uchiha yelled. "I will kill him for what he did. No one can stop me. I am an avenger."

Kakashi sighed. "That is exactly what I mean. Sasuke you are too aggressive and overly proud. Sooner or later you will jump into a fight you cannot handle and the only goal you will achieve is your death. Learn to ask for help, learn to work with your team, but most of all learn to control your anger. Listen to me and you will achieve the strength you seek."

Kakashi could see the various emotions playing across his students face. Anger, frustration, pride and finally acceptance. "If you're willing to listen Sasuke, I'm willing to teach." And with that Team 7's training began.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later on that evening, the Hokage was just finishing up the last of his paperwork and preparing to retire for the night when his former student climbed in the window. "Damn it boy what have I told you about that!", exclaimed the Hokage.

"Heh heh, sorry sensei, but I'm glad I caught you.", Jiraiya chuckled. "I believe I may have found the answer to our problem but I'm going to need some assistance. I'll need a medic on standby and, if possible, I'd like to have a Hyuuga to monitor his coils and the use of the sealing chamber. If you can get everything ready for tomorrow afternoon I can make the additions to the seal."

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe in thought. "That is good news. I'll send word to Hiashi. I'm sure he will be willing to spare one of the branch members to aid us in such an important task."

"Yeah I'm sure, and his assistance won't even cost you that much will it? ", came Jiraiya's sarcastic reply. "Leaving Hyuuga generosity on the side. I've come up with a patch to the seal. As I thought, it won't be able to totally suppress the Kyuubi's chakra but it will minimize it allowing Naruto to function. His body should adapt to it's presence in his coils. The only problem is that it may still be possible for him to draw on the demon's chakra so we have to make him understand the dangers. Should too much demonic chakra enter his system it will poison his body, making him sick and eventually killing him. Aside from that, there is no danger of influence from the beast or it's chakra. His mind will not be corrupted so you don't have to worry about that."

"I'm relieved to hear you say that. The clan heads will be as well, I'm sure."

Jiraiya turned to go but paused for a second. "you know I just may stick around for a while. It's past time for me to get to know my godson. Maybe I can teach him a few things." On that note the Toad Sage leaped out the window.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following afternoon was busy for everyone. Team 7 started their new training regiment. Kakashi was every bit as demanding as he had claimed. For Sakura there was physical conditioning to increase her speed and stamina. There were also exercises to increase her chakra reserves. Along with that Kakashi gave her some scrolls on genjutsu theory and application. After she finished with those he taught her three genjutsu to practice. While this was going on, Kakashi was putting Sasuke through what he like to call 'anger aversion therapy'. This mostly consisted of taunting the boy until he lost his temper then giving him a thorough beating while he was blinded by his rage. Kakashi figured eventually he would realize that his anger and aggressive attitude made him sloppy and misjudge his opponent. Of course Sasuke, being who he was, took some time before the lesson managed to sink in. The overly proud Uchiha went home with plenty of cuts and bruises from his sensei's "object lessons".

Meanwhile, the Hokage and Jiraiya were making arrangements to repair Naruto's seal. Sarutobi reserved the sealing chamber and called in a medic from the hospital. Luckily enough one of the doctors was a Hyuuga and, with Hiashi's consent, was more than willing to assist the Hokage and one of the Legendary Sannin. Yukari was a calm middle-aged woman with her hair wrapped in a tight bun. She exuded an air of competence and compassion seldom shown in the proud Hyuuga clan.

Once all the preparations were complete, Naruto was transported to the sealing chamber, stripped to the waist and laid on a section of the floor surrounded by intricate seals. Jiraiya had everyone back away while he drew several seals and designs around the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki on his godson's belly. After he was done he turned to his mentored and said, "Well here goes." The toad sage went through multiple hand seals and upon finishing, channeled chakra to his right hand. Without warning he swiftly brought his hand down on the damaged seal. There was an intense burst of light as Jiraiya's chakra flared. The seals on the young genin's stomach began to shift and realign until there were two triangles interlocked to form a six pointed star surrounding the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki. At the each of the points were four kanji. The Sage turned to the Hyuuga nurse and with a slight edge of fatigue asked her to examine Naruto.

Yukari activated her byakugan and checked on her charge. The doctor proceeded to give Naruto a thorough examination. After several tense minutes, she turned to Jiraiya and the Hokage and gave her report. "The seal has had some effect. His coils are no longer flooded with the demonic chakra. His charka has reasserted itself into his coils. However it is strange." As she looked at her leader the Hokage gave her a nod to continue. "While most of the chakra in his system is his own there is a thread of the demonic chakra flowing through it. What makes it unusual is that his chakra seems to be surrounding the demon chakra and acting as a buffer to minimize contact between it and the rest of his system."

Having heard this Jiraiya let out a relieved sigh. Seeing everyone stare at him he gave a slight chuckle and explained. "That's what I was hoping would happen. Since the section of the seal designed to contain the Kyuubi was relatively undamaged I meshed a containment seal with a limiter seal and added in some chakra channeling and recognition seals then tied them to the base seal. As you heard there will still be some demonic chakra flowing through his coils but with the new array, the seal uses Naruto's chakra to act as both an inhibitor and buffer for it. This will minimize the interaction of the demonic chakra with his system.

The Sandaime looked at Jiraiya a pensive expression. "Could you have fully blocked the Kyuubi's chakra from entering his system? Wouldn't a modified Five Elements Seal been a more secure choice"

The Sannin thought for a moment before replying. "I considered it but it was too risky. As a possible side effect it could have cut Naruto off from using his own chakra and without knowing how that would affect the seal I didn't want to take the risk." Jiraiya gave an internal sigh of relief at seeing his teacher accept his explanation. "I'm not going to rob Minato's son of the chance to fulfill his dream. Besides the boy is strong enough to keep the beast in check. He has too much of his father in him, not to mention his mother's stubborn streak." he thought.

The old man studied his former student while he was preoccupied. "I'm not so easy to fool as that, my boy.", he thought. "I understand why you did it, but I hope to Kami you know what you are doing." The Hokage turned back to the nurse and asked, "How much of the fox's chakra is in his system?"

Yukari took a second look. After a brief pause she stated, "I would estimate about fifteen to twenty percent of the chakra in his coils is demonic Hokage-sama."

"Will he recover with that much still in his system?", Sarutobi asked in a worried tone.

"I believe so sir. There are already signs that his body is healing from the overexposure. The most reassuring being his fever lifting. Though he needs to be kept under observation, I hazard to say that the crisis is over and he should soon recover."

The old Fire Shadow gave a weary nod. "Thank you Yukari-chan. Now lets get the lad back to the hospital. Please keep me informed of any changes in his condition. Jiraiya go get some rest. Once I get word then I will send for you." With that dismissal everyone left to await the time when the child's condition would change.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Naruto awoke in a wet and dimly lit corridor. "Damn it that hurt.", the young shinobi exclaimed. "Where the hell am I? Kakashi-sensei? Sakura-chan? Teme? Is anybody here?" Naruto turned as the ghostly echo of a laugh reached his ears. Seeing no one around he figured he would check it out. He followed the sound until he emerged into what appeared to be a vast sewer chamber. The floor was flooded and pipes ran overhead. Oddly enough there was a giant cage set into the far wall. Naruto peered into the darkness of the cage when suddenly two enormous red eyes appeared and a gigantic clawed paw shot from between the bars. Naruto fell back into the murky water, narrowly avoiding being crushed. Beneath the glowing eyes a huge malevolent smile grew. Humungous fangs that looked perfectly capable of crushing little ninja bones gleamed in the meager light.

"Come closer little ningen . I want to eat you but this damn seal is getting in my way.", rasped the Kyuubi.

"That red chakra was you!", exclaimed Naruto.

The Nine-tails let loose a bone chilling sinister laugh. "That's right boy. You took what was not yours, so I gave you more than you could handle. That is why you're here now."

Naruto looked on in confusion at the Kyuubi. "What the hell are you talking about you stupid fox?"

"You have nerve boy!", roared the demon fox. "In your fight with that ninja you took my chakra so I gave you more than you could control." The fox chuckled. "It would have been amusing to watch as you went berserk. But I didn't count on you being an idiot."

"Hey watch it fuzz butt!"

"Remember who you are speaking to fool!", roared Kyuubi releasing a wave of killing intent. "I was slaughtering your kind since before your grandfather's grandfather was born. Yours will be the first life I claim once I escape. Yours and all those in that pitiful village "

"No.", whispered Naruto.

"What was that boy?"

Naruto looked up at the fox, a look of determination in his cerulean eyes. "I said no! I won't let you. I'm going to be Hokage and protect everyone in the village. And as for me stealing your chakra, well your staying in my body so you should pay rent"

The Nine-tails laughed. "You have guts little ninja. Very well, since you amuse me I'm going to give you a little gift."

At this Naruto heard the sound of stone scraping against metal. Looking up to find the source he saw red chakra flowing from the Kyuubi's cage. The red chakra surrounded and merged with some of the pipes as they shifted slightly until a pipe ran directly into the cage.

"There, now leave. I grow tired of your presence." With this Naruto seemed to fade away. The Kyuubi retreated into the depths of his cell. "What will you do now boy. Will you give up or will prove your words. Show me your resolve." With that the demon fox curled up on the floor, waiting for the next bit of entertainment.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Naruto groaned as he woke up. He looked around and saw white walls with a curtain blocking his view of the rest of the room. His moaning alerted the nurse on duty. Looking in to see him awake she sent a message to the Hokage before checking on her patient. "How are you feeling?", she asked.

"My head hurts a bit but I'm fine. Where am I?", Naruto responded.

"Your in the Konoha hospital. Just rest, Hokage-sama should be here soon." With that the nurse retreated to her station.

Naruto lay in bed for a while before he heard the soft swish of robes headed for his room. The door opened to reveal the Hokage and a large man with white hair. "How are you my boy? You gave us quite a scare."

"I'm feel fine old man. Hey, what happened? The last thing I remember is fighting this ninja named Haku." Naruto replied.

"You were injured in your fight and your team brought you back." Seeing the worried look on the boys face the Hokage hastened to reassure him. " Your teammates are fine, but your seal was damaged. We needed to repair it before the demons chakra could hurt you. I would like you to meet my former student, Jiraiya. He is the one who fixed your seal. I'll let him tell you about it."

Naruto turned to stare at the other man. "How ya doing kid? Let me introduce myself." The big guy then proceeded to do the strangest dance Naruto had ever seen. "I am Mt. Myobokugama's holy master sage, also known as the Great Toad Sage. Remember it."

Naruto turned to look at the Sandaime with squinted eyes. "Is this guy for real?" he asked the Hokage.

Sarutobi could only shake his head at his pupil's antics. Jiraiya jumped in, "Hey, I'll have you know I'm a seal master who just happened to have trained the Yondaime."

The boys head whipped around after hearing mention of his hero. "Seriously?" Naruto asked.

"You bet kid. Now calm down and let me tell you about your new seal." With that Naruto pulled up his shirt to check out the new seal.

"What happened?" Naruto asked upon noticing the additions.

"During your fight you got in the way of your sensei's attack. The part of the seal that drains the Kyuubi's chakra, purifies it and adds it to your own was damaged. Your body was flooded with the fox's demonic chakra and it was poisoning you, So I added a secondary set of seals to help keep the demonic chakra in check. You with me so far kid?"

"Yeah I thinks so. So the fox is all sealed up right?"

"Well, that's the thing kid. The fox can't get out but I could keep all of it's chakra out of your body. You will always have some of it going through your chakra coils."

"WHAT?" he yelled.

"Jiraiya clamped his hand over the boy's mouth. "Keep it down gaki. We are in a hospital. Look, the amount of demon chakra in your system won't be enough to hurt you. Your chakra keeps it from messing with your system too much. You should be alright."

"You sure?" Naruto asked nervously after the sage released him.

"Yeah but if anything happens tell the old monkey over there and we'll take care of it." Naruto snickered while the Hokage scowled at the comment. "Anyway we just need to get you checked out then you probably want to see your team. That pink-haired girl and your sensei have been asking about you along with that chuunin with the scar who works in the Hokage's office."

"Sakura-chan asked about me? Really?"

"Yeah. And from what I hear your sensei has really been working them into the ground. I think he blames himself for you getting hurt."

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto whispered with a hint of sadness. At that moment the doctor walked in. After greeting the Hokage and Jiraiya and introducing herself to her patient, she proceeded to check Naruto over. After a few minutes she pronounced him physically fit. Yukari then asked Naruto to mold chakra. She activated her byakugan while Naruto formed the ram seal and channeled his chakra. A violet tinted blue flame of chakra appeared around the young nin. Yukari made a few notes on her pad before telling him to stop.

"Hokage-sama with your permission I'd like to have Naruto perform a jutsu so I can monitor the effects of the demon's chakra on the outcome." The Sandaime nodded his agreement while Jiraiya looked on in interest. "Naruto I would like you to henge into the Hokage please."

As Yukari looked on with her byakugan active, Naruto went through the handsigns while molding his chakra. What happened when he release the jutsu shocked everyone. There was a bright red flash and two cries of pain. Yukari squeezed her eyes shut in pain while pressing her palms to them. The intense burst of red chakra had overloaded her doujutsu. Naruto collapsed on the floor screaming and convulsing. Jiraiya rushed to the boy's side yelling for a medic while the Sandaime checked on Yukari.

"By Kami!" exclaimed Jiraiya, "Naruto, what happened to your eyes?" Where once Naruto's eyes were a vibrant blue, they were now a brilliant violet and his whisker marks had darkened as well. "Geez kid. It just never stops with you does it?" joked the Toad Sage.

"This is no laughing matter! Make sure the seal is secure. Yukari, when you can, check for any change in his chakra."

Once they had both been check over and recovered, the Hokage asked Yukari for an explanation. "Well Hokage-sama, may I run one test before I give you my opinion?" After a moment of deliberation the Hokage agreed. Turning to her patient, Yukari pulled out a small seal cover rod. She explained, "When Naruto channels chakra into the rod it should glow. Naruto please channel only a very small amount of chakra."

Naruto grasped the rod and hesitantly and channeled as small an amount of chakra as he could. The rod glowed brightly but otherwise nothing happened. The Hokage turned to Yukari with a questioning look. The medic proceeded to explain.

"Based on Jiraiya-sama's previous description of how Naruto's seal works and my own observations with my byakugan this is what I found. When Naruto molded his chakra the first time, he expelled the chakra flowing through his coils. There were no adverse effects because up until the chakra left his tenketsu, his chakra still acted a buffer to the Nine-tails chakra. The same thing happened when he channeled chakra into the rod. The only side affect seems to be that the demonic chakra added to his own makes the total mixture far more potent than normal. However, it appears Naruto does not truly have control over the demonic chakra in his system. He can only use his own chakra as a guide to channel it. When Naruto molded his chakra for the jutsu his chakra was stripped away from the Kyuubi's. Once it was no longer acting as a buffer, the demon's chakra then built up, overloading the jutsu and causing a backlash that causes immense pain and convulsions by stressing the chakra coils and damaging the nervous system. The overload released a temporary burst of the fox's chakra in Naruto's system. That was the red flash we saw earlier. I believe this is what caused the change in his eye color and darkening of the marks on his cheeks. I would hazard to say the stronger the jutsu the more powerful the backlash" The stunned trio looked at her with expressions ranging from sadness to confusion.

"What does that mean Yukari-san?" Naruto asked.

The medic could only give the blond a look of sympathy and compassion. "I am sorry Naruto, but it means that you can never perform a jutsu without serious risk of injury or even death." Naruto froze upon hearing her diagnosis.

"Never use jutsu? But … but. What will I do? How can I be a ninja?" The Hokage moved to comfort him. Naruto could only hang his head. Never again could he use jutsu. No more kage bunshin. No henge. Nothing. Could he even be a ninja without it?

Jiraiya looked at his godson and felt pangs of remorse and sorrow. This was his fault. If he had found another way. Hell, if he had been there for the kid at all, would he have been better prepared? Better trained? Would any of this have even happened? Jiraiya watched as Naruto sat there, his hair hiding his eyes. The Sandaime stood with his hand on Naruto's shoulder, trying his best to be there for the boy. Suddenly Naruto clenched his fist.

"I don't care." The three adults looked at Naruto quizzically. "Even if I can't use jutsu, I'll still become Hokage. I'll just have to find a way to do it without jutsu." The boy leaped to his feet, passion burning in his eyes. "I made a promise to protect all the people who are important to me. I won't let them down. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konoha. You better believe it."

The three older nin could only stare in wonder. Only minutes after being told of a handicap that would have sent most shinobi into a deep depression, the diminutive blond not only bounced back but also declared his intention to become the strongest ninja in the village. What was so surprising was that when he said it, they could not help but feel as if he just might be able to accomplish his goal.

"Just like his old man." Jiraiya thought. "Minato, you would be so proud of your boy. I swear before Kami to do everything in my power to help him reach his dream."

Sarutobi Hiruzen often spoke of the Will of Fire that all Konoha shinobi possessed. However, he could honestly say he had never seen that flame burn brighter than in this young man. The boy had a grit and determination that rivaled any the old Fire Shadow had ever seen, and if he could take this kind of setback in stride and keep on going, then Hiruzen would be damned if he'd let the fools in this village hinder the boy any longer.

"Yukari, how much longer would you say before Naruto fully recovers?" Sarutobi asked the medic.

"Physically, he seems to be fully recovered, but with all that has happened I would like to keep him under observation for another two days." Naruto hearing this started to pout.

"But I'm fine. Besides I need to start training if I'm going to take that hat of yours old man."

"Naruto, listen to me. I want you to do exactly what Yukari-chan tells you. In two days, you will come to the Hokage tower where you will be briefed. If you fail to obey orders there will be dire consequences. Do you understand?"

Seeing the seriousness in the old man's demeanor, Naruto knew that this wasn't the time for argument. "Hai. I'll behave."

"Good. Jiraiya follow me to my office. We have much to discuss." On that note the two elder nin left the room. Naruto could only sigh and wonder what would happen next.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Once Sarutobi reached his office he sent a chuunin to find Kakashi and have him report to the Tower with his team. Sarutobi seated himself behind his desk and pulled out his pipe. Jiraiya leaned against the wall and looked out the window overlooking the village. Jiraiya smiled and addressed his teacher.

"Kid is growing to be one hell of a man eh?"

Sarutobi puffed contentedly on his pipe before responding. "That he is. That is exactly why we are here. I have an idea. That boy damned near embodies the very principles this village was founded on and to let that kind of fire die by locking him up would be a travesty." He turned to his pupil. "We are going to turn that boy into the great shinobi we both know he can be."

There was suddenly a knock on the office door before he could continue. Iruka poked his head in the office, "Team 7 reporting as requested Hokage-sama."

"Send them in. Iruka you stay as well. I want to speak with you all." Sarutobi stated.

Kakashi strolled in reading his book trailed by a ragged looking Sasuke and Sakura. Seeing the condition of the two exhausted genin, Sarutobi knew that Kakashi had taken his words to heart. Iruka followed them in closing the door.

After they were seated, the Sandaime address them. "I have called you here to give you news of Naruto's condition." Upon hearing this they all perked up and paid closer attention. "Naruto has finally woken up. He is in good condition and is waiting for you to visit in the hospital." Kakashi and Iruka both smiled at the news. Sasuke hid a slight smirk and Sakura grinned as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Iruka could no longer contain himself, "So when will he be able to leave the hospital Hokage-sama?"

"They would like to keep him for another two days just to be certain he is fully recovered." The Sandaime saw their joy and hated that he had to take that from them. "However there is some news you will not like." At this Iruka and Sakura frowned. Sasuke schooled his face to a black expression and Kakashi put away his book. The Hokage continued in a more official tone. "I regret to inform you that, as of this moment, Uzumaki Naruto will be removed from Team 7 and taken off the active ninja roster."

There was a shocked silence before Iruka burst out, "But Hokage-sama why?"

Hiruzen could only sigh, "As a result of his … injury, Naruto no longer has the capability to perform jutsu. As such I feel it would be in his best interest to refrain from taking missions. Since Naruto is no longer active he cannot remain on Team 7."

All four were stunned. Kakashi felt as if he had just been punched in the gut. He had failed. Because of his mistakes one of his students would no longer be able to continue their ninja career. He could only hang his head in shame. Iruka felt his heart break for the boy he considered a little brother. He had seen so much potential in Naruto, and now it would never be fulfilled. Sakura couldn't help but shed tears for her teammate. Naruto may have been a loudmouthed goof but Sakura never met anyone more determined. She could not imagine what this would do to him. Sasuke scowled. Sure Naruto was a bit of an idiot but he had come to respect the blond boy. Sasuke could not imagine what he would do if he lost the ability to use jutsu. To see his ambitions crumble before his eyes would be too much to bear. He felt that he had lost not only a potential rival but a potential friend. All four sat in silence with their thoughts weighing heavily on their minds.

The Sandaime gave them a moment to process the news and their feelings before continuing. "Maybe it would be good for Sakura and Sasuke to visit Naruto. Kakashi, Iruka, I need to speak with you on a related matter." The two genin excused themselves and made their way to the hospital. Kakashi and Iruka looked expectantly at their leader. "Now I want you both to give me a full and unbiased opinion of Naruto's shinobi skills." Both of them were surprised to say the least.

"Hokage-sama, but I thought Naruto was leaving the ninja corps?" Iruka asked hesitantly. They were caught off guard by a laugh from Jiraiya, who they nearly forgot was in the room.

"You boys need to pay more attention. He said Naruto was being taken off active duty not removed from the ninja corp." A light of comprehension dawned in Kakashi. Maybe there was hope for his student yet.

"Iruka please humor an old man." The Hokage could still see the confusion on Iruka's face. He looked to Kakashi who nodded in understanding.

"Well Hokage-sama, I'm not familiar with his current skills but from what I recall from the academy Naruto … well he may not be the greatest ninja but he has a lot of potential. His stamina is astounding. His strength was above average while his speed was average. His chakra control was poor as was his general knowledge. He also lacks focus when it comes to things he does not like or believe important. I wish he had spent more time studying than pulling pranks."

The Hokage turned to Kakashi. "Do you agree with Iruka, Kakashi?"

Kakashi took a minute to compose his thoughts. Finally he spoke. "While I do not necessarily disagree with Iruka, I believe he may have overlooked some things. As you know Hokage-sama I was fully briefed before becoming Naruto's sensei. There are things I have noticed that may have slipped by someone less observant." Kakashi smiled while Iruka bristled at the slight dig. "Naruto may have been a prankster but in his own way I believe that was a form of training." The other three listen with interest as he continued. "When he is focused and not showing off, Naruto has excellent stealth skills for a genin. He is also more observant than people give him credit for. Those same pranks show a rudimentary skill for tactical planning and I personally have seen an innate talent for on the fly battle strategy that should be encouraged." Kakashi looked at the ceiling while scratching his chin. "His biggest problem is that he has an idea of what is important as a ninja and he ignores everything else. If you could get his to put a fraction of the dedication he has to learning ninja techniques into his basic studies he you would see a big improvement. Like most genin he saw ninja life as a game or an adventure, though I doubt that's a problem now."

Sarutobi could only nod his head in agreement. He had suspected much of this himself. He looked to Jiraiya to see if he had anything to add.

"Well I read the boys file and I think Kakashi here missed some things too." Now it was Iruka's turn to smirk while Kakashi stared heatedly. "I think that anybody who can learn a jounin rank kinjutsu in a couple of hours with no help has no problem with learning from a scroll. Like anything in life it's just a matter of gaining his attention."

The Sandaime looked at the two and smiled. "Iruka I am going to tell you what I believe Kakashi has already figured out. I have no intention of preventing Naruto from being a shinobi. However, I cannot allow him to perform missions in his current condition. Having listened to your evaluations I have decided to arrange an assessment test for Naruto. Based on what I find, Jiraiya and I will put together a training regimen that will improve Naruto's other skills. Not every ninja needs jutsu to be capable. It wont be easy and he will need your support but that boy is determined to be Hokage and I want to help him get there. Besides the sooner he does, the sooner I can get away from all this paperwork." They all shared a laugh at that. Iruka was relieved. Things were better than they seemed for his troublemaking little brother.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sakura and Sasuke stood outside Naruto's hospital room. The walk from to Hokage tower had been silent. Both genin were in a somber mood as they contemplated their teammate's situation. Sakura steeled herself and put on a happy face as she knocked on the door.

"Come in." Naruto called out.

Sakura opened the door to see Naruto sitting in bed looking out the window. She entered the room with Sasuke a few steps behind her.

"I'm glad your feeling better Naruto. We were worried about you." Sakura saw the boy smile as his eyes lit up. It was only then that she noticed the change in his eye color. "Naruto, what happened to your eyes?" This caught Sasuke's attention as well. Sure enough where Naruto's eyes were once a brilliant blue they were now a vibrant shade of violet that practically glowed.

Naruto could only give a sheepish grin as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "Oh uh well I had a little accident with my chakra and this is what happened."

Sasuke was intrigued. He had never heard of anything like that. "What the hell were you doing dobe? And what happened with your chakra?"

"I'm not really sure. They were testing my chakra to see if I was healed from when I got hurt. There was an accident and that's it."

Sakura looked at his face. It looked like he was hiding something. That's when it hit her. "Hey Naruto, the Hokage told us about you not being able to use jutsu anymore. Does it have something to do with that?"

"Yeah, I think so." Naruto was quiet for a second before his face brightened once more. "But I won't let that stop me. Just watch. I'm going to be the greatest Hokage ever!"

Sasuke had enough. How could that idiot be so cheerful when his ninja career was over. "You're a fool, dobe. You can't be Hokage if you cannot use jutsu. Only an idiot like you would believe that. Just give up already."

Sakura could not believe Sasuke could be so mean. Sure it was a fantasy to think he could be Hokage with his handicap, but still, to try and crush his dream like that was just cruel. She was about to console Naruto when she saw his face contort in anger. The blond boy jumped out of bed and tackled his other teammate. Sasuke was unprepared for the assault and fell back with Naruto on top of him.

Naruto got right in Sasuke's face and screamed, "Screw you teme! There is no rule that says that you have to have jutsu to be Hokage. The Hokage is the strongest ninja in the village. I'll be Hokage even if I have to kick your ass to prove it. That's my ambition" Both of his teammates were surprised at the conviction in his voice.

Sasuke was livid. Was this cretin mocking him? To think he had been thinking the dobe could be his rival. How would he measure himself now. Not only that but now that Naruto was no longer on their team he was worried that they would be given another useless genin to fill the spot.

Meanwhile, Sakura felt a warm feeling in her chest. She didn't know why but suddenly she felt as if she wanted to help Naruto achieve his dream. She was pulling the smaller boy off Sasuke when she remembered the rest of the Hokage's announcement. "But Naruto, the Hokage said that he was taking you off of our team and off the shinobi roster."

"Nani! Wait till I see that old man." Naruto fumed for a while before an idea occurred to him. "Hey, maybe he wants me for some super secret ninja training."

"Whatever dobe, your obviously fine now so I'm leaving." With that, Sasuke left the room.

"Eh, teme." Naruto smiled as he turned to his pink-haired teammate. "Hey Sakura-chan, what have you been doing while I was here?"

Sakura groaned. "Kakashi sensei is a slave driver. Ever since we got back, he has been running us into the ground with his training. The only good thing is I think I'm getting stronger. He has me working on some genjutsu since I have such good chakra control."

"That's great Sakura-chan. I always knew you were strong." The girl blushed slightly at his praise. Naruto calmed down a bit as he seemed to be thinking. "Hey Sakura-chan, will you go out with me when I get out of the hospital?"

Sakura was shocked to find that she didn't have the urge to pound the boy. Maybe she was growing up some. Still, while she was glad to see he was better, she didn't feel that way about him. She sat next to him on his bed and gave him a serious look. "Naruto I want you to understand. I'm glad you're feeling better and I even care about you as my teammate, but I like Sasuke-kun." She could she the sadness in his eyes as she continued. "I won't ever feel that way about you. You are like an annoying younger brother to me." She watched as he smiled slightly, though she could tell he was hurting. "I'll tell you what, when you get out of here I'll take you to get ramen but only as friends. Ok?"

Naruto was heartbroken to hear that the girl he liked did not like him. At least, not the same way. But still she did say that she cared about him and that made Naruto feel better. So he smiled at her, even though he was sad. "Sure thing Sakura-chan."

Sakura decided to give him some time alone. She got up to leave but at the last minute she did something that shocked them both. She gave Naruto a big hug. "I'm glad your better and I want you to know that I believe in you. I'll help you any way I can. Even though your not officially on the team you will always be my teammate." Sakura ran out of the room wiping her tears as she left.

Naruto fought back tears of his own as he watched her go. "Sakura-chan." The lay back on the bed, but turned when he heard a book close. Naruto's face brightened as he looked over at the door and saw his sensei, well former sensei, enter the room.

Kakashi entered the room and looked over his now former student. Seeing the boy in good health lessened the guilt he had been carrying around. "So how is Konoha's most surprising ninja doing?"

"Ha, I feel great Kakashi-sensei. How about you? I heard you been training Sakura and Sasuke pretty hard."

Kakashi felt a momentary resurgence of guilt. The copy nin knelt by the boys' bed and hung his head. "Naruto can you ever forgive me? I failed you as a sensei. I didn't prepare you for the mission and then I failed to protect you. I'm so sorry Naruto."

"Neh Kakashi-sensei. It wasn't your fault. I got mad and drew on the stupid fox's chakra. He gave me too much and I lost control, but I won't let it happen again. You can believe it."

Kakashi laughed in relief and tussled the boys' hair. It was amazing to the man how easily the young blond could forgive. "Naruto you are becoming are a good man and I think one day you will be a great one." Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head at the praise. After a second his smiled dropped and he became serious.

"Kakashi-sensei, why did Hokage-jiji take me off the team?"

Kakashi was expecting that to come up, so he looked Naruto in the eyes and explained. "Naruto I know you feel left behind but I know the Hokage has a good reason. Right now you have to adjust to not being able to use jutsu, but I'm sure he has a plan for you. Just bear with it and I promise you it will be worth it." Kakashi smiled at Naruto.

Naruto knew he could trust his sensei. "Hai Kakashi-sensei, I will. I just can't wait 'till I get out off this hospital.."

Kakashi chuckled. "I have to go Naruto, but before I do I want you to know, if you ever need anything just come and find me. You may not be my student but I would like to be your friend."

Naruto found himself holding back tears again as he responded, "Thanks Kakashi."

"Ja nei." And with that the jounin left.

Naruto felt drained. This had to be his most emotional day since he graduated the academy. The boy lay down and wrapped himself in his covers before drifting off to sleep. In two days he would see what his future held.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Two days later Naruto found himself on his way to the Hokage tower after checking out of the hospital. He was in a good mood. Iruka had stopped by the day after Team 7 and fussed over the boy. Team 8 and Team 10 had also stop by briefly after hearing the news. Naruto was grateful that they cared enough to see him, although Hinata acted kind of strange. She kept giving him these odd glances and when he looked at her she would turn red-faced and move out of view. Naruto just shook his head and chalked it up to her being weird.

Naruto entered the tower and made his way up to the Hokage's office. Iruka, who was sitting at the desk outside the Hokage's door, brightened up considerably once he saw the boy. "Go right in Naruto. They are expecting you." Naruto wondered who "they" were but just brushed it off. He stopped when he heard Iruka call him. "Naruto be on your best behavior while you speak to the Hokage. Remember he is the one who decides what happens to you.

Naruto entered the office to see Sarutobi seated at his desk puffing on his pipe. The Toad sage Jiraiya was leaning on the wall next to the window.

"Hey old man, Jiraiya." Naruto greeted the elder nin.

"Hello Naruto."

"Hiya kid."

"So Naruto" the Sandaime began, "do you know why you are here?"

Naruto thought for a second before answering. "I guess this is about me not being on Kakashi-sensei's team." Naruto tried to stay positive but he was nervous.

"That is correct. Now let me ease your mind. You are only being removed from the active ninja roster. I believe you still have the ability to be a proud shinobi of the Leaf." Naruto's smile was like the sun coming out. Sarutobi and Jiraiya both chuckled at seeing the young boys' joy. Sarutobi schooled his face into seriousness before he continued. "Before you get to excited I want you to understand how serious this is. There are some in the village who want me to strip you of your ninja status. They believe it is too dangerous to allow you outside of the village." Naruto scowled at the news. Sarutobi continued before he could interrupt. "However, I see potential in you which is why you will be given one chance to prove that you have what it takes to remain a ninja without jutsu. If you fail I will have no choice but to remove you from the shinobi corps permanently."

Naruto understood the trust the Hokage was placing in him. "I won't let you down old man. I will be a ninja and I will be Hokage."

"That is the spirit I like to see. First we will give you an assessment exam to see where your other skills place. Then based on the results Jiraiya and I will design a training schedule for you to complete. Iruka has also graciously volunteered to tutor you in the basics that you neglected to learn at the academy." Hearing Naruto's groan the Hokage glared at him until he quieted. "Understand this well Naruto, we are placing a great deal of trust in you. You will be tested and should you fail to pass you know the consequence."

That sobered the boy right up. "I understand Hokage-jiji. So what's next."

Sarutobi replied, "Next we test your skills. Prepare yourself Naruto and be at training ground 13 in one hour. You are dismissed."

Naruto raced out of the room nearly barreling into two shinobi as he passed.

"Hey watch it gaki!" the woman yelled around a mouthful of dango.

"The flames of youth burn bright in him my youthful comrade." the man added.

They both entered the Hokage's office. "You called for us Hokage-sama?"

"Yes. Anko, Gai, I have a mission for you. I need you to test the skills of a genin. Meet me at training ground 13 in forty five minutes."

"Hai Hokage-sama." they both replied.

As they left the office, Anko let out a sinister cackle. It had been a while since she had been able to play "torture the genin". Maybe this would be fun after all. Meanwhile, Gai was excited as well. There was nothing he loved more than testing the fires of youth. This would be a good day.

Back at his apartment Naruto let out a shudder. He didn't know why but he got the feeling that he was not going to enjoy this test the Hokage cooked up.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**A/N:** Well that's it. Next chapter we pick up with the assessment test. Naruto gets some new and surprising teachers, a makeover, and we find out just what the gift the Kyuubi gave him was. Let me know what you think. Until next time, later.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update but family problems got in the way. For those of you who have asked, yes there will eventually be a pairing. Yes, the girl has already been chosen and no, I will not change my mind. She was chosen for story purposes and because I feel the relationship has potential. If you disagree, that is your right, and while I will listen to your arguments, it won't change my mind. Maybe for a future story but not this one. All I ask is that you keep an open mind, and just so you know, it may not be who it first seems.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 3

Naruto reached the training ground with minutes to spare. Training ground 13 was a large grassy field dotted with copses of trees and surrounded by forest. The clearing was about a half a mile across and there was a small lake on the south end. Naruto looked over the training ground until he spotted three figures at the far end. He ran over and came to a halt in front of the Hokage, who had just finished speaking with a pair of shinobi.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, let me introduce Maito Gai and Mitarashi Anko. I just finished explaining to them the purpose of this test," the Sandaime informed him. "Gai is a jounin and our resident taijutsu expert. He will test your physical conditioning and fighting skills. Anko is a special jounin and an expert in assassination and interrogation. She will be testing your weapons, evasion, and stealth skills."

Naruto looked the two over. Gai was a large solidly built man wearing what looked like a green leotard and sporting the biggest eyebrows Naruto had ever seen. Anko wore mesh armor with miniskirt and trench coat. Naruto didn't think they looked like much but neither did Kakashi at first. Besides, if the old man said they were good, who was he to say otherwise.

Naruto broke off his musings when Gai spoke up.

"Greetings Naruto-kun. Hokage-sama has told us of your situation. I am impressed that your fires of youth continue to burn brightly. My most youthful student, Rock Lee, also cannot use chakra. He has decided to show the world that he can be a great ninja using only taijutsu." Naruto immediately perked up upon hearing this. "Now, I am here to test your physical condition and taijutsu skills. You will do some warm up exercises and we will spar. Once we have finished I will make some suggestions to Hokage-sama for your training so that you may once again enjoy the springtime of youth, yosh!" Guy finished by slipping into his nice guy pose, his teeth gleaming in the sun.

"Eh?" was all Naruto could reply.

"To start off, you will do two hundred pushups, sit ups, and pull ups. Then you will run thirty laps around the clearing. Once you are done loosening up, we will spar until I have a good grasp of your fighting style and natural tendencies."

"What?!" Naruto looked at him incredulously. The clearing had to be a mile around at least. "Are you crazy?" Naruto looked to the Hokage for support but could only hang his head when he saw a smiling Sarutobi holding up Anko who was currently busting a gut laughing. Naruto mutter something about crazy ninja and treacherous old men as he began his exercises.

Naruto was surprised to find that, while the routine did suck, he was able to get through it. Oddly enough, every time he thought he had reached his limit and his muscles couldn't take anymore, the pain and tightness would ease slightly; not much, but just enough for him to complete each exercise. Gai stood by nodding his head as Naruto got up and proceeded to run around the clearing. Ten minutes later, it became apparent that the rumors of the boys near inexhaustible stamina were truer than he had believed.

The kid had been running flat out for the entire time and so far had not shown any signs of tiring. Gai could only smile. Now here was a genin worth testing. If anything he would love to train the young genin himself, but alas, he could not abandon his students, particularly his Lee.

Finally, after an hour of running, Naruto jogged up to the trio, a slight sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. The poor boy bent over to catch his breath after the exertion. One minute later, Gai called him over to shady areas near a copse of trees.

"Very good, Naruto-kun. Your conditioning is better than I expected. Your strength appears to be slightly above average. Your speed is about average for a genin but your stamina is unbelievable." Naruto beamed at the praise. "Now we test your fighting ability. Come at me using everything you have. I want to see how well you attack and defend. I will start at a genin level but I will slowly fight harder until I reach mid-chuunin level. Do your youthful best so that I may correctly rate your skills."

Naruto sized the man up before dashing at him. Several feet before he would reach him, he launched himself into the air snapping a side kick at Gai's head. Gai blocked with his left forearm while throwing an uppercut at the boys' stomach. Swiftly grabbing the incoming fist with both hands, Naruto rolled over the blow to land at Gai's side. He threw a quick jab that was picked off by a descending elbow and was caught in the face by the following left. Naruto flew back, hit the ground and tucked into a roll. Getting to his feet he again launched himself forward, this time going for a right to Gai's solar plexus. Gai leaned to the side while smacking the young nins fist to the ground. Not one to be easily stopped, Naruto shifted his weight turning his fall into a spinning back kick. Gai reacted by catching the incoming foot and yanking the boy around before throwing him at a nearby tree. Naruto flipped in midair, his feet hitting the tree, and rebounded off for another go. Gai was grinning. Now here was a boy with potential. Sure, he was rough and had little style to speak of, but he was adaptable, tenacious, and tireless.

Gai decided to amp things up a bit. The jounin dashed to intercept the genin before catching him with a quick right left combo that had the boy reeling. He quickly shook it off as Gai came forward with a series of punishing blows. Naruto was quickly overmatched. He was lucky to block or dodge one blow in five. He would not give up however. His career as a shinobi of the leaf was riding on this, and he would not back down. After knocking him to the ground for what seemed like the fiftieth time, Gai loomed over the battered nin. "Do you yield?" he asked.

Naruto slowly pushed himself to his feet, his face swollen and aching. He stared the man in the eyes and replied, "Never. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage, and I never give up. Bring it on Bushy Brows!"

Gai smiled and backed away, surprising the blond boy. "Very good, Naruto-kun. You may now rest. Your fires of youth burn brightly this day. They may even be a match for my Lee's," he said, once again giving his nice guy pose.

Naruto fell on his butt in relief. While he would never willingly surrender, he really was on his last legs at that point. The man was relentless. The Hokage wasn't joking when he said the man was a taijutsu master.

"Now I want to ask you a few questions before I make my recommendation to Hokage-sama." Naruto nodded as Gai crouched down next to him. "I noticed that you do not use the style taught by the academy, may I ask why?"

"It doesn't feel right, so I stopped using it. I figured I'd make my own style."

"Hmm, tell me what do you mean when you say it does not feel right?"

Naruto thought for a minute. After struggling to come up with an explanation, he sighed in frustration. "I don't know how to explain it, it just doesn't."

"Let me see if I can help. Does it feel too rigid?"

"Huh?" Naruto replied.

"I mean does it feel too stiff like you are trying to force your body to move in an unnatural way?" the jounin clarified.

Naruto's face lit up. "Hey, yeah that's it. It feels stiff. I didn't like it and when I tried to tell Mizuki-teme he just told me to stop complaining," he ended darkly.

"Hmm, let me speak to Hokage-sama while you rest for your next test." Naruto nodded as Gai walked over to the other two.

"Hokage-sama I believe Naruto has much potential and I have a few styles in mind. He appears to lean towards a more freeform style. Most styles would be too structured for him. May I ask what plans you have in mind for the rest of his training? Is there a particular way you are trying to mold him?"

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe for a second before replying. "All my plans are based on what I learn today, however, since he cannot use jutsu I believe his best option is to close quickly and put down his opponent before they can get out of range. I believe he will always be at a disadvantage in a long range battle."

Gai shook his head. "Not necessarily sir. My student Tenten does not use much in the way of jutsu, but she is deadly at long range. Her skill with throwing weapons is astonishing for one of her age."

This immediately caught Anko's attention. There weren't many kunoichi out of the current crop that impressed her and to hear of one who was so skilled with the throwing blades peaked her interest. She might just have to pay the girl a visit.

Gai continued, "It is my understanding that your main concern is Naruto avoiding being hit while still able to take out his opponent, correct?" The Sandaime nodded which prompted Gai to continue. "The problem is, while there are a few styles that might suit him, none have the necessary qualities you are looking for. Most power styles that would allow him to disable his opponent quickly, like my Goken, would be too rigid and structured for him. On the other hand, more flexible styles that depend on avoiding hits and swift punishing counters, like Anko-san's Snake Fist style, would take too long for him to develop the necessary precision in his strikes to use effectively."

At this Anko nodded in agreement. Most styles similar to hers required pinpoint accuracy to deliver crippling blows. Based on her observations, the gaki would definitely take a while to get to that point, if ever.

"There is an alternative Hokage-sama. I know of a style that would be nearly perfect for Naruto-kun. It is an active style so it requires great stamina. It consists of dodging and blocking your opponent's strikes while delivering disorienting and weakening blows. It allows you to control the flow of the fight before dealing the finishing blow when your foe is unable to defend themselves. It is difficult to learn for most because it calls for a certain unpredictability that is impossible to teach, and most would rather use a style designed to end a fight quickly. The Shadow Eel style capitalizes on this. An adept of the style fights moving swiftly and staying in blind spots, avoiding hits while meting out blows, frustrating their opponent until they make a fatal error."

The interest of the Hokage was definitely peaked. From Gai's description, this could very well be just the sort of style they were looking for. "Gai, would you be able to teach this style to Naruto?"

"No, unfortunately not, Hokage-sama. I have knowledge of the style but I am not fit to learn it either. However, I do know someone who is proficient in the style. A former chuunin named Fuurinji Akisame."

The Hokage frowned. "The name is vaguely familiar. Tell me, why is he no longer a ninja and would he be willing to teach Naruto his style?"

"That is difficult to say. At the very least, he would want to meet with the boy himself before agreeing. As to why he is no longer active, he developed a respiratory condition that prevents him from fully exerting himself. Now he spends his time pursuing the arts. When last we spoke he said he that he had spent enough time destroying and that he now wanted to create."

"Very well," the Sandaime said. "Please go speak with Fuurinji-san on Naruto's behalf. If necessary, explain the situation to him. Have him come to my office tomorrow at eight with an answer."

"Hai Hokage-sama." Gai took off to find his old friend.

Sarutobi turned to a bored Anko who had been playing with a kunai as she eyed Naruto with an evil grin. The old man sighed. "Anko it is your turn to test Naruto. Please return him in one piece, preferably without any major injuries."

Anko gave a sheepish grin as she scratched the back of her head. Sarutobi was struck with how alike the two were. Both were notorious pranksters, though Anko's pranks tended to have a mildly sadistic streak. Both were spirited, willful, and doggedly loyal. Both had experienced the loneliness that came from being outcast but neither would let it slow them down.

"No problem Boss, but your taking all the fun out of this." she replied with a cheeky grin.

The young woman walked over to where Naruto was recuperating and promptly kicked him in the side. "Get up gaki. No more lying around. It's time for me to have my turn."

Naruto angrily jumped to his feet. "What the hell?!" He froze as a kunai zipped past his face, leaving a small cut on his cheek. Before he could move, he felt a pair of arms slip around him from behind. Anko hugged him close nuzzling the confused genin while she licked the blood from his cheek.

Hiding her surprise at not finding the wound with her tongue, she purred in his ear. "Now now gaki let Anko-chan have her fun. I want to test that vaunted stamina of yours. We are going to play a game of capture the genin. You have a five-minute head start, before I come after you. You will have to use all of your skill to avoid being captured for the next half hour. If I catch you, I get to use you for target practice. My last target had an unfortunate kunai accident."

Naruto shuddered as she spoke. What the hell was the old man thinking? First, he lets him get beaten by Bushy Brows then he lets this psycho loose on him.

Anko continued. "You can use whatever tools and weapons you have. Make traps throw kunai you name it. Word of advice though, keep a look out for snakes, oh, and don't die." She released the boy with a pat to the rear and an evil cackle. Naruto took off for the forest at top speed.

"Anko don't you think you over did a bit?" the Hokage asked.

"Just trying to motivate the gaki, Boss."

* * *

It had been twelve minutes and Naruto had yet to see any trace of the crazy broad. Meanwhile, he had made good use of his time. Drawing on all his knowledge of traps and his experience as a prankster, Naruto setup several traps in the vicinity of his hiding place. He then pulled a few threads from his jacket and placed them on branches and roots near the traps to give a false trail. Having hunkered down in the hollow of a tree surrounded by bushes, he waited. Let the psycho try to track him down. She'd get hers all right. Naruto watched as Anko crept through the undergrowth with a self-satisfied look on her face. Just a few feet more and she would set off the tripwire and the fun would begin. Naruto was so intent on watching Anko that he almost missed a slight hissing sound behind him. He slowly turned around to come face to face with the biggest viper he had ever seen. Acting solely on instinct, Naruto leaped up and back-flipped, landing on the side of the tree just as the snake lunged for him. Thanking Kami for still being able to channel chakra, the Hokage-wannabe ran up the tree and executed a series of jumps that took him away from the snake. Just as he was about to make his final jump to the ground a kunai whistled past his face causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Naruto quickly recovered and rolled to the side as three more of the deadly projectiles impaled the ground where he had been. Deciding to go on the offensive, Naruto pulled three shuriken and flung them into the foliage overhead.

Naruto listened for any clues to Ankos' position. When he could not pickup anything, he decided to lead her back to the traps. When he reached his former hiding place, he heard a rustling in the trees. Naruto dived to the side while throwing a shuriken. The shuriken missed Anko, who had leaped out at the boy, only to cut a rope concealed in the grass. Anko smiled as five kunai headed right for her. Spinning around, the special jounin snatched all five out of the air and hurled them at the astounded genin. Quickly coming to his senses, Naruto dived onto a roll and threw another kunai as he came to his feet.

Anko moved her head just enough to avoid the missile as she chased after her prey. Naruto ran through the bushes with the insane woman hot on his heels. The fleeing genin dropped several smoke bombs hoping to loose her in the underbrush. He ran on for several minutes, ducking and dodging kunai the whole time. Occasionally he would throw one back or drop another smoke bomb but she just kept coming.

Naruto decided he'd had enough and doubled back to his original position. Seeing a small hole where two trees had fell against each other, he dived and scrambled to the other side. Anko took the easy way and jumped over them only to find a grinning Uzumaki yanking a piece of rope. Another bunch of shuriken flew towards the woman. Naruto was shocked to see all six of the stars hit their target. His relief was short-lived, however, when Anko disappeared in a puff of smoke to reveal a log in her place. Naruto felt something wrap around him binding his arms to his side as he was jerked into the air. He turned his head and immediately cried out in terror as two snakes, venom dripping from wickedly long fangs, began snapping at his face.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he heard an evil cackle. "Now that wasn't very nice gaki. Those would have really hurt, and you wouldn't want to hurt little old me would you?" Anko asked in a deceptively sweet tone.

Naruto's' mind raced as tried to come up with a way out of his predicament. It quickly became abundantly clear that he was not going anywhere. The snakes had him in a tight grip, suspended in midair; their bodies trailing back to disappear into the sleeve of the woman's trench coat.

Anko laughed at the crestfallen look on the poor brats face. Taking pity on the twerp, she told him, "Lighten up kid. You actually did better than I thought you would. I mean did you really think you could avoid me, the incredibly awesome, deadly, and super sexy Mitarashi Anko, for half an hour? You may be good for a genin but not that good."

Naruto was happy and confused all at the same time. "Heh? I did good? But you said I had to keep from being caught for thirty minutes. I don't get it."

"Kid I never expected you to actually pull it off. I just wanted to see what you were made of." Anko dismissed her technique, dropping him on his butt. She turned and led the sulking boy back to the Hokage with him muttering under his breath about psycho snake ladies who torture people for fun.

"So how did he do Anko?"

Anko thought for a second then gave her opinion. "He's not bad. Above average stealth and evasion skills for a genin. He did pretty good setting up traps. I'm surprised, the kids better with throwing weapons than I thought he'd be, but he could still use some work. Too much snap to his wrist. His observational skills aren't bad but he took too long to notice my snake. He got too focused on me and dropped his guard. All in all, not bad for a genin. Took me a total of twenty-two minutes and forty-six seconds to bag and tag him."

The Sandaime was pleased. He knew Naruto was crafty, after all he had managed to not only paint the Hokage Monument in broad daylight, but also managed to sneak into the tower and steal the Scroll of Forbidden Seals. "Thank you Anko for your assistance. Naruto, you did well. Go home and get some rest and be at the tower tomorrow morning at nine."

Naruto said bye to Sarutobi and Anko and raced home. After preparing two cups of ramen and showering he drifted of to sleep wondering what the next few days would bring.

* * *

Fuurinji Akisame had just put down his paintbrush when he heard a knock at his front door. He rose gracefully to his feet and adjusted his light green kimono. When he opened the door he was surprised to see his nephew, Maito Gai, on his porch.

"Come in Gai-chan. It's been a while since I saw you last. Would you like some tea?"

"Thank you Uncle, that would be good. How have you been?"

"You know me Gai-chan, I have my art and that is enough."

"How are Miu and her most youthful husband? I have not seen them since they moved to the capital. Are they well?

"Oh yes, they are doing excellent. Kenichi got a job as one of the Daimyo's guard and they are expecting their second child in seven months." Akisame paused to serve the tea. After they had each settled down, Akisame addressed his nephew. "Now then, while I am enjoying the company, I know you are usually busy training your students. So what has brought you to me today?"

"Before I answer your question uncle, please tell me, are you still searching for a successor for the Shadow Eel style?"

Akisame was slightly taken aback. He had not mentioned his search for a pupil in years. While he had once held out hope that his son-in-law might learn the style, the boy thought too linearly. "While I would love to pass on the secrets of the style, I have yet to find someone with the right mindset, body type, and spirit to carry on the tradition. There are very few in the ninja world who would be suitable. As you know, the Shadow Eel is not a style based on quick takedowns; it is about control and stamina. Control over yourself and your opponent. Stamina to outlast and outmaneuver. Why do you ask?"

"Today I met a young man who is basking in the springtime of youth. Uncle, let me tell you to story of Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

The following morning found Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, entrenched at his desk filling out the morning paperwork. At precisely eight o'clock, Iruka knocked on his door.

"Hokage-sama, there is a Fuurinji Akisame here to see you."

"Send him in Iruka. We are not to be disturbed until Naruto arrives. When he does I would like to talk to you as well about the matter we spoke of."

"Very well Hokage-sama." With that, Iruka escorted Akisame into the office.

Sarutobi had taken the time to pull the mans service record the previous evening. He was impressed to say the least. The Hokage now remembered where he knew the man from. During the Third Shinobi War, Fuurinji Akisame was a chuunin on the way to becoming a jounin, until he took a poisoned kunai in the chest while returning to the village to report an Iwa ambush. While the medics were able to save his life, the poison had gotten to his lung causing irreversible damage. He could continue to lead a normal healthy life but unfortunately ninja service would forever be beyond him.

The Sandaime took a moment to study the man before him. Fuurinji Akisame was in his late forties. The dark brown hair that fell down to his shoulders was streaked with gray, as was his neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He maintained the lean physique of a ninja even though he was a civilian. Dressed in black hakama and a light green gi, he looked the picture of refinement and serenity.

"Hokage-sama, Gai tells me that you wish for me to examine a prospective student." the man said, breaking Sarutobi out of his musings.

"Yes. Gai has tested a young genin and he feels the boy to be a particularly apt candidate for your style. I asked that you meet with me so that I might request that you train the boy. You of course know of young Naruto's burden, do you not? Would that be an issue Akisame-san?"

Akisame saw the look in the old mans' eyes. Thinking carefully over his reply, he continued. "No Hokage-sama, I have never had an issue with young Uzumaki. While I do know of his…situation, I had honestly never given much thought to the child. My only concern is whether he will have the qualities I look for in my student."

Sarutobi leaned back into his chair. "What exactly are you looking for? Gai did not go into detail about the qualities you seek."

Akisame stroked his chin in thought before he answered. "Any student of the Shadow Eel Style must have three things above all others. They must have a creative mind, a strong and agile body, and an indomitable spirit. While many possess the body and spirit, few possess the right mind set. Shadow Eel is all about control and adaptability. You must stay ahead of your opponent while maneuvering them into a position that is advantageous to you. That requires a certain unpredictability that most shinobi lack. Too many get caught in the trap of having favorite techniques. While it is good to use what you know best, once your enemy becomes aware of your habits you lose a certain edge. The Shadow Eel is a free form style that capitalizes on this ideal. While it is more defensive than most styles a master can wreak havoc with an enemy."

Sarutobi kept a straight face but inside he was jumping with excitement. This sounded like the perfect style for Naruto. With the boys' trickster nature and the plans he had for his training coupled with this style he would be a terror on the battlefield. "Hmm, well Fuurinji-san, Naruto should be here within the next half hour. In the meantime, do you have any questions or concerns you would like to address?" This would be what told the Sandaime if Akisame would be right to teach Naruto.

"Gai has spoken highly of the boy, which says a lot in his favor. If you do not mind me asking, why exactly are you going so far for this boy? It is not often the Hokage goes so far for a genin."

The Hokage pulled out his pipe, lit it, and took a puff while he measured his response. "From his first day on this earth, that boy has served this village. The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into Naruto and as his last request; he asked that the boy be seen as a hero. Unfortunately, he did not count on the strength of the rage and pain most felt that day. Naruto has been ignored, glared at, and generally been the target of those negative emotions all of his life. Konoha repays his sacrifice by shunning him, but still he wishes to protect this village. His greatest dream is to be Hokage. This is my way of repaying the debt we owe him. But more importantly, this is how a tired old man will help a lonely, mistreated boy he could not fully protect from the people he serves." The two old men talked for the next half hour while they waited for Naruto to arrive.

* * *

Naruto ran for the Hokage Tower in a rush to keep his appointment. That morning he had stopped at Ichiraku's. He ate two bowls of ramen while being fussed over by Ayame. He smiled as he ran to his meeting, it always felt good to know that at least a few people cared about him.

When he got to the receptionist desk, he saw Iruka waiting for him. "Come right in Naruto. The Hokage would like to speak with us both." Naruto saw another person sitting in the office as he entered.

"Ah, Naruto my boy come in and have a seat. I would like to introduce you to Fuurinji Akisame, a former chuunin. He wanted to meet you before he decided whether or not to teach you his taijutsu style."

Naruto, in a rare show of manners, bowed to the man before seating himself. Akisame looked the boy and then chuckled. "Well Naruto it is good to finally meet you. My nephew Gai and the Hokage have told me a lot about you. Before we start, I want you to know that I have been told about your…situation. That will have no bearing on my decision. If I find that you have the attributes I seek, then I will teach you. If you do not, then I won't."

Naruto shook his head in agreement. "So what is it I need?"

"You need to have the right kind of mind, body, and spirit to be a true Shadow Eel student. That you wish to continue as a ninja even with your setback tells me you have the spirit. Now I have to decide if you have the proper mindset and basic physique. Now, the Hokage tells me that on your last mission you faced an A ranked missing nin and aided your sensei in escaping from him. Tell me about what happened and what part you played." Akisame settled back into his chair to hear to Naruto's story. As he listened, he searched for any signs of deception or exaggeration.

"So that's when I had the teme throw me and the fuma shuriken at Zabuza. That eyebrow-less freak didn't know what hit him. He dodged the shuriken and then jumped when he saw the second one, but then I came out of the henge and threw a kunai at him so he had to drop the jutsu to get away." Naruto beamed in pride at his accomplishment.

Akisame stroked his beard as he listened to the story. "So you came up with this idea all on your own, right there on the spot?"

"That's right!" Naruto's composure slipped a bit when he saw a slightly disbelieving look on Akisame's face. "What you don't believe me? Ask Kakashi sensei. He even told Zabuza that I forced him to let sensei go!" Naruto pouted.

Akisame couldn't hold it in anymore and let lose with a laugh. "No I believe you. You are a most interesting young man. Since it appears you have the mind for my style, all that's left is to check your body. Please take off your shirt and stand still with your arms out to the side."

After nervously glancing at the Sandaime for approval, Naruto proceeded to take off his jacket and shirt. He held out his arms as Akisame poked and prodded at his stomach and back. The former shinobi then felt the boy's arms and legs all while nodding or shaking his head. When he finished, Sarutobi Iruka and especially Naruto waited to see what he would say.

After eyeing the boy for a few seconds, he laughed. "Finally I have found someone fitting to pass my knowledge to. You will need work but the basic frame is there. You have the makings of a fine Shadow Eel student." Hearing this Naruto jumped up and cheered.

After he calmed down, he looked at Akisame with his face scrunched up in confusion while scratching his face. "Ano, sensei just what exactly is your style anyway? I never heard of it before."

Both the Sandaime and Iruka dropped their heads in exasperation at the blonds' shenanigans. Akisame merely chuckled. "Yes, I have found a rare one indeed. To answer your question, the Shadow Eel Style is a taijutsu style centered on controlling and outlasting your opponent. This is why it was so hard for me to find the right student. One has to have the stamina to tire their enemy and the unpredictability to keep them off balance. Doing so allows you to control the fight. Whether one opponent or ten, the Shadow Eel practitioner is always moving. Ducking, dodging, tumbling, and staying just out of sight and out of reach. Unleashing blows aimed to disorient and disable your foe. When they can no longer defend themselves that is when you move in with the final strike."

Naruto's eyes grew wide as he listened to his new teacher. When Akisame finished, the boy shouted, "That is awesome! Just watch sensei, I'll be so great nobody will beat me. I can't to tell Sakura-chan and Sasuke." They all gave the excited youngster smiles of indulgence before the Hokage grew serious.

"Naruto that is one of the things we must discuss." Seeing the grave look on the old mans face calmed Naruto instantly. "You must understand that with your condition, surprise will be your greatest weapon. That means your training must remain secret until the time is right." Sarutobi sat back and stared out at the village. "We are putting a great deal of faith in you my boy, so you must prove the faith is justified. To that end I have a few rules that you will abide by or your training will end and you will be removed from the ninja corps."

Naruto flinched at the news. He understood just how big a chance the Hokage was taking and he would not let the old man down. "Ok jiji what do I have to do?"

The Hokage smiled when he saw the serious looked on the boys face. "First you will begin your training tomorrow morning. You will train everyday with Sundays off to rest. There will be no physical training on Sundays, your body has to recuperate from the exertion. Your day will start at six when you will meet Akisame-san for breakfast. For the next hour you will practice calligraphy."

Akisame saw Naruto's questioning glance and explained, "Every practitioner of Shadow Eel must take up an art. After discussing it with the Hokage, we feel that calligraphy would be most suitable for you. Think of it as a meditation exercise to calm your mind and center yourself." Naruto nodded slowly, not really seeing the point but afraid to argue.

"Now then," the Sandaime continued, "next you will train until twelve when you will have lunch. During that time, Akisame has agreed to teach you proper manners and etiquette. While we enjoy your spirit and enthusiasm, there will be time when you may have to meet with important clients so you must learn how to behave. Is that clear?" Naruto quickly nodded his head. "You will then practice chakra control until three. From there you will go home and freshen up to meet your next tutor." At this Sarutobi waved his hand at a smiling Iruka.

"Starting at four I will meet you at your apartment where we will go over all the important things you 'missed' while at the academy. Now I know you may not think these things are important and you may find them boring, but you must learn them. The information you learn may one day save your life or the life of a teammate." Iruka said giving him a stern look. "You will be tested at the end of the week and if you do not pass your training will end." Iruka sighed at seeing Naruto's downcast look. He knew the kid wasn't the best at bookwork, which is why he volunteered when the Hokage mentioned it. "Naruto we are doing this for your benefit, but only you can decide if it is important enough to do the work. I believe in you and I will help you as much as I can."

Naruto perked up immediately. All his hopes and dreams were riding on him succeeding. This was his last shot and he would not give up, that went against his nindo. "Alright Iruka-sensei, I'll pass, you can believe it."

Sarutobi smiled. "That is good to hear Naruto. When Iruka finishes you are to eat and then you have free time until nine when you will go to bed. At the end of the month, we will evaluate your progress and decide if you will continue on to learn two more skills I have in mind for you. Now you have the rest of the day off to do as you like. Akisame will be at your apartment tomorrow to show you the way to his house so be ready and remember to tell no one the details of your training.

Naruto rose to his feet before looking at the three adults. "I promise I won't let you down. I'll learn everything I need to be a great shinobi." With that, the excited blond ran out of the office to prepare for road ahead.

Akisame turned to the Hokage and remarked, "Well if nothing else things won't be boring for the next month. He is the most enthusiastic person I have ever come across." Akisame chuckled and left. Iruka returned to his post leaving the Sandaime to reminisce over his time as a sensei and his most hyperactive student.

* * *

Early the next morning, Naruto was awakened by knocking on his door. He looked at his clock to see that it was 5:45. The boy's eyes widened comically as he realized who was most likely at the door. Naruto rushed to let his new sensei in to his apartment. It took all the emotional control Akisame possessed not to laugh at the sight of a panicky Naruto rushing around in froggy pajamas with the strangest nightcap on his head. Seriously, he could tell it was supposed to be some type of animal but for the life of him, Akisame could not tell what kind.

"Hold on sensei, I'll be right there," Naruto yelled as he rushed to get ready.

He returned only a few minutes later wearing a hideous orange jumpsuit. Akisame was convinced the pajamas were better. Naruto finished up and they left the apartment. The two walked in silence until Naruto piped up with a question. "Ano, hey Sensei, why can't I just eat breakfast at home? I mean I don't want to be a bother."

Akisame chuckled lightly. "It is no bother at all. You see there are three reasons for this. First, we need to make sure that you have the proper diet. The Hokage has told me of your love of ramen, but you need the proper nutrients and vitamins to fuel your body during training. You will also learn to prepare these meals yourself." Akisame gave the young genin a pointed look. "I trust that will not be a problem." Naruto quickly shook his head no, while he cried on the inside for the loss of his precious ramen. "Second, as you may be called on to attend important functions or dinners during your ninja career, you will be learning manners and etiquette. These are things every aspiring Hokage should know." Naruto felt his chest swell with pride. Here was someone who took his dream seriously. "And finally, I would just enjoy the company. Does this satisfy you young man?"

Naruto agreed and shortly thereafter, they found themselves at Akisame's home. Akisame lived in a modest three-bedroom house with a spacious backyard. Naruto looked around the living room and saw all the sculptures and paintings. His natural curiosity got the better of him and while they were preparing breakfast, he asked about it. "Hey sensei, you must really like art huh?"

Akisame smiled at the boy. "Actually, while I do enjoy art itself, these are all pieces that I have done. When I retired as a ninja, I found that I had more than enough money to support myself but not much to do. So I decided to take up art. These are just the pieces I decided were good enough to show, the rest are in my studio in the back." Naruto was amazed. There was so much art that he could only imagine how much was in his teacher's studio.

Breakfast progressed slower than normal for the young ninja. His teacher forced him to slow down and savor his food. Naruto's education in etiquette began with lessons on how to behave at a formal meal. The proper usage of utensils, polite conversation, and table manners were all covered. After breakfast, they moved to Akisame's art studio. They studio was a large enclosed patio looking out over the backyard. Naruto had never seen so many paintings and sculptures in his life. Akisame led Naruto to a small table with scrolls an inkwell and several brushes.

"Now you will begin learning the fine art of calligraphy. I can see you have a question and if I am not mistaken you are wondering why you must learn this." Naruto was surprised, as that was exactly what he was thinking. "You see, all students of the Shadow Eel Style are required to take up one of the arts. We feel that it is important to balance the brutality of fighting with the serenity of artistic creation. It is a way to calm the spirit and learn focus. The Hokage has asked me to teach you calligraphy in particular because he feels it is a skill that will serve you well later on."

With that said Akisame began to teach his new pupil calligraphy. It was slow going, as Naruto was a naturally energetic person, but Akisame was a patient man. When Naruto messed up he merely pulled out another scroll and had him start again. After a while, Naruto finally began to calm down and let go of his frustration.

After an hour had passed they moved to the backyard. Naruto was teeming with excitement. This was what he had been waiting for. Akisame led Naruto to the farthest corner of the yard. Situated behind a concealing grove of bamboo was a training area. Naruto had never seen anything like it. A layer of sand covered most of the area. There was an area with six-inch thick poles jutting from the ground at all angles. A series of targets featuring numbers were mounted randomly around each pole. Intertwined throughout the center section of the thing was a web of ropes. Several feet away were several contraptions that Naruto could not recognize but looked like they belonged in a torture chamber.

Naruto became nervous as Akisame led him over to the devices. "Have a seat Naruto. Now," Akisame began as the boy sat at his feet "we shall now begin your training as my first true disciple of the Shadow Eel Style. First, we must prepare your body before you can learn the secrets of our style. While you possess the basic build, there is still some work to be done. The three most important attributes of a Shadow eel adept are stamina, agility, and core strength. You already possess the stamina and that will naturally increase with your training so we will focus on agility and core strength. To increase your agility you will be put through these three stretchers," he said, pointing to the contraptions behind him. "Each is designed to stretch a different series of muscle groups. This will be followed by intensive exercise to increase the strength of your abdominal muscles and back with lighter ones for your arms and legs. The end result will enable you to contort your body in midair with little difficulty while snapping out blows that will break bones. So, let's begin shall we."

For the next two hours, Naruto experienced the most pain he had felt besides hid accident. The first machine was definitely the worst, as it stretched his legs into positions he felt he wasn't made to be in. The second twisted his midsection around like a corkscrew and the last contorted his arms as far as they could possibly go. Needless to say, afterwards his entire body ached, but his sensei refused to let up. Following a break that was all to brief in Naruto's opinion, he was forced to do three hundred sit-ups, two hundred leg lifts, two hundred crunches and several other exercises designed to work his back, sides and stomach. He was then expected to do two hundred pull-ups, three hundred jumping jacks, one hundred lunges, and run for thirty minutes straight. By the time lunch rolled around at twelve, the boy was a boneless mass of pain.

Naruto felt like he could barely move. Every muscle in his body felt torn and bruised. He was forced answer questions about all that he had learned during breakfast about nutrition, food preparation, and etiquette. Whenever his attention seemed to wane, Akisame would rap him on the knuckles to regain his focus.

After lunch, Naruto finally felt capable of moving faster than your average garden snail. They returned to the training ground or, as Naruto had dubbed it, the ninth circle of hell. They both assumed the lotus position and Akisame pulled out a small pile of leaves.

"Now that we have trained your body, it's time to train your mind and soul." Taking a leaf, he affixed it to his forehead where it stuck. "This is the leaf exercise. You use chakra to make the leaf stick to your body. Too little and it will fall, too much and it will crumble. I want you to practice this for the next hour."

Naruto stared at the man in confusion. "Hey sensei, why do I have to practice chakra control? I can't use jutsu remember."

"That is a good question. There are several reasons. One, it is a form of meditation to teach you focus, similar to your calligraphy practice. Two, since your chakra guides the foxes, we feel increasing your control would be a good thing. And three, we have plans for your training that will require you to be able to use precise amounts of chakra. Does that answer your question?"

Naruto nodded and proceeded to practice. It was slow going and by the end of the hour, he had only been able to keep it on his forehead for a few minutes at a time. He was then made to practice tree climbing for an hour, which was necessary, as the addition of the demonic chakra to his system had completely destroyed his former competence. He was extremely luck he had managed it in his fight with Anko.

At the end of his training session Naruto trudged home, finally understanding why the Hokage gave him an hour before Iruka-sensei was to show up. When the chuunin did arrive, he was loaded down with books and scrolls. Naruto groaned prompting a glare from the academy teacher. For the next three hours, Naruto studied geography, history, biology, and the shinobi code. The upside was, since he was the only student, Iruka was able to devote his attention solely to the blond. All his questions were answered and Iruka even explained why the information was so important to learn, giving real life examples and situations.

Finally, at seven o'clock, Iruka finished the lesson biding his student good night. Naruto ate and showered, too exhausted to do anything else. He went to bed knowing he had the same hellish schedule to look forward to tomorrow.

* * *

Things proceeded in much the same way for the rest of the week. Naruto was able to relearn tree climbing in two days and so was made to hang upside down from a branch while keeping a leaf stuck to his forehead. His manners were improving with the help of his sensei's wooden spoon. The calligraphy progressed slowest of all but given his hyperactive nature, that was to be expected. What worried Akisame was his physical progression. Changes that should have taken weeks were occurring in days. By the end of the week, Naruto was limber enough to begin learning the katas for his style. His abdominal and back muscles were gaining tone and definition. Most alarming of all was that, unbeknownst to him, he had grown an inch.

It was these changes that led Akisame to seek council with the Hokage that Sunday morning. The chuunin on duty led him into the Sandaime's office. Once he was seated, Sarutobi looked at him quizzically.

"So, what may I do for you today Akisame? I assume this meeting concerns Naruto. Is he keeping up with his work?"

"Naruto is coming along quite well, too well I would say. That is why I wished to speak with you."

Sarutobi held up his hand before performing a silencing jutsu. When he had finished he turned to Akisame with a grave expression on his face. "Now tell me exactly what you mean."

"Well my lord, Naruto is progressing much faster that should be possible. I know from our talk that the boy heals faster than normal, so I took that into account. However, the rate at which he is developing is astounding. Not only that but it appears he has hit a growth spurt. Now I know that he is at the age where this is normal but that coupled with his phenomenal physical progress has me mildly concerned. I thought it would be best to bring this to your attention."

Sarutobi took a moment to consider this new state of affairs. What a time for Jiraiya to be out of the village. Hiruzen knew Jiraiya needed to actively monitor his spy ring but this new development could be serious. "Please wait here Akisame." The Sandaime summoned a pair of chuunin. "Have Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Yukari report to my office." The duo acknowledged their orders and disappeared.

Ten minutes later Yukari walked into the office and greeted the pair. A few minutes after that Naruto walked in and saw the three of them talking. What happened next shocked and amazed the old Fire Shadow.

Naruto bowed before the three elder ninja. "Hokage-sama, Akisame-sensei, Hyuuga-san, how may I serve you?" Akisame and Yukari smiled as a suspicious Sarutobi held his hands in the ram sign and flared his chakra. When nothing happened except Naruto looking at his in confusion, the Hokage turn to Akisame with a questioning look.

"Naruto has been learning respect for his superiors. It is all a part of his etiquette training."

Hiruzen turned back to Naruto with a mischievous grin. "Well as good as it is to finally receive a measure of respect, I miss the old familiarity. I suppose when we are alone you may speak freely Naruto-kun."

The boy smiled. "You got it old man. Why did you send for me jiji, you miss me? Or have you finally decided to give me that hat?"

The outburst received a chorus of laughter. It was good to see that, although he was learning and progressing, that he had not lost that spirit and heart that made him who he was."

Having been reassured that Naruto was still the same, the Sandaime become serious once again. "No Naruto I'm afraid that is going to have to wait a while longer. Your sensei has been apprising me of your progress and I would like for Yukari-chan to give you a checkup.

The two men watched as Yukari examined the boy and, having completed the physical, activated her byakugan. As she was preparing to turn back to the Hokage and deactivate the doujutsu, the Sandaime signaled her to wait.

"Naruto, please do push-ups until I tell you to stop."

Naruto shrugged and dropped to the floor. Yukari watched for several minutes as he did the exercises. Suddenly the medic gasped in surprise. The Hokage waited for a minute more before telling Naruto to stop.

"Tell me Yukari what did you see?"

Yukari collected herself before answering her leader. "Hokage-sama I have never seen anything like it. Naruto's chakra was the same up until the height of his exertion. At that point, the Kyuubi's chakra and his began to mix and flow through his muscles. My byakugan is advanced enough to the point that I could focus on his muscular system. It is amazing, the blended chakra flowed through the muscle slowly repairing the damage and strengthening it. After the repairs were made the two chakras separated ad returned to normal."

Sarutobi gave Naruto a concerned look. "What does this mean?"

"I would need to run some test to be certain but I believe it means that Naruto's healing rate has been accelerated. If you like, I can take Naruto to the hospital now. I should be done in no more than an hour."

Before he could think to stop himself, Naruto muttered, "I wonder if this is what he meant?"

The Hokage whirled to gaze intently at the boy. "What do you mean boy?"

Naruto shrunk in on himself as Sarutobi glared at him. "I would have told you Hokage-sama, but I just remembered it. When I was in that coma, I met the fox." Naruto proceeded to explain what happened while he was out, including the Kyuubi's mention of a 'gift'.

The Sandaime gave the nervous boy a hard look before sighing. "That was a potentially dangerous omission Naruto. Who knows what could have happened, but I supposed given the circumstances of that day I could not blame you for forgetting what could very well have seemed like a dream. However," He paused and stared at the genin, "should something like this happen again, I expect to be told immediately. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" came the boys chastened reply.

The old man turned back to Yukari. "Was there any change to the seal?"

"No my lord, the seal is perfectly stable."

"Very well, take Naruto and return once you have the results."

The two left the office and Hiruzen lit his pipe. Leaning back in his chair he addressed the patiently waiting Akisame. "I swear, one of these days that boy will be the death of me."

* * *

**A/N: Well another chapter wrapped up. We see the beginnings of the Kyuubi's 'gift' to Naruto. I'll go into it further next chapter. I hope you liked his interaction with Anko and Gai; it was harder than I thought to write those action scenes but I hope to improve with time. It will be interesting to see if any of you could tell what I was trying to do with Akisame. He is an homage to another of my favorite series. On another note, I may not update again until after New Years. With the holidays rolling around things tent to get somewhat hectic for me. I'll do my best to update sooner, but please don't be disappointed. Well have a happy holidays and I'll see you next chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I apologize for the long wait. The holidays really messed me up as far as my writing goes. Please forgive any grammatical errors I may make. It's just me and I do most of my writing at 3am while sitting at work. I do my best but sometimes I miss things. I would like to give credit to **Mr. Fix-It-NAO** for reminding me that Rock Lee can in fact use chakra, he just has no ability to use genjutsu and ninjutsu. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. I will strive to keep the story entertaining and fresh.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 4

True to her word, Yukari returned Naruto to the Hokage's office in an hour. Sarutobi waited patiently as the two were seated and Yukari began her report.

"Hokage-sama, I have run several test and we performed a little experiment to test my theory. Please keep in mind that, without further evidence, this is conjecture at best." Sarutobi nodded for her to continue. "It appears that Naruto has gained an accelerated regenerative ability. I went back over Naruto's medical files and found that even though we have a record of him healing faster than normal, no one has ever sensed the presence of demonic chakra. So based upon what I saw earlier, Hatake-san's report and Naruto's recollection of what happened in Wave country, I reached a tentative conclusion. When Naruto's body was flooded with the Kyuubi's chakra during his fight in Wave, his injuries were healed instantly. When the demon's chakra was cut off, his healing rate returned to normal levels. Now, however, he has a constant, albeit limited amount of demonic chakra in his system."

Both the Sandaime and Akisame's eyes widened at the implications. Yukari continued, "With this in mind I proposed an experiment to which Naruto agreed. I would make a slight incision and monitor the progress of his healing with my byakugan active. If I was correct, the demonic chakra would heal the cut, if not I would do it. I was surprised when it worked but not as fast as I had previously seen with his muscle repair. Therefore, to be thorough, I made three more incisions of increasing depth. What I saw amazed me. The deeper the cut, the more chakra flooded the injury and the faster it healed. As each cut closed, the amount of chakra decreased and rate at which it healed slowed. Once again, without more evidence, this is only conjecture, but I believe that because of the limited amount of the demon's chakra, it works harder to heal the more serious injuries and tapers off as the danger abates. Theoretically, life threatening injuries should begin to heal almost instantly."

The Hokage considered this new development before speaking, "Should we be worried about the additional exposure to the fox's chakra? You said before that increasing levels would harm the boy."

Yukari shook her head. "While that is true, in this case Naruto's own chakra mixes with that of the demons. I believe this protects him from the temporary influx in much the same way as it acts as a buffer in his coils. Somehow, the two chakras work together in this instance. I can run further test, but without a significant injury to study we will never be completely sure."

The Sandaime smiled as he looked at the nervous expression on Naruto's face. "That won't be necessary. Although, should Naruto not keep up with his studies, I could always reconsider."

"Hey, watch it old man. Don't forget I'm gonna replace you someday." The three elder ninja laughed at his outburst.

"Very well. It seems as if there is no immediate danger, but I want Naruto to receive a checkup every two weeks. Naruto you are to report to Yukari-chan at the hospital, is that clear."

"You got it jiji. Yukari-chan is the best." The medic blushed at his exuberant praise.

The Hokage smiled indulgently. "Now run along and enjoy the rest of your day. Don't forget that your training resumes tomorrow."

Naruto leaped out the chair and headed for the door. "Later jiji, Akisame-sensei, Yukari-chan."

Akisame looked back at the other two. "He grows on you doesn't he?"

Yukari smiled as the Hokage answered. "Yes, he certainly does."

* * *

The following week continued much the same as the first. Naruto made headway with his etiquette lessons and practicing good manners began to come more naturally. This impressed Ayame greatly. While he learned to eat healthier, Akisame allowed him to have ramen three times a week. Of course, he refused to waste his precious ramen allotment on the instant stuff. It was Ichiraku's for him. He was even able to convince Iruka to treat him as a reward for his improvement.

Speaking of the chuunin, Iruka was pleased with Naruto's progress in his bookwork. It still took time and patience but the young nin was beginning to pick things up a little faster. Naruto dived into his studies intent on attaining the knowledge he realized all of his former classmates already had. The boy refused to be left behind again. While he was far from a font of information like Sakura, he was now gaining enough to raise his competency to levels equaling the average academy graduate.

His training with Akisame was picking up pace as well. Naruto had now calmed down enough to make passable attempts at calligraphy. He still needed work but he was getting better. It was his physical training that gave the best results. The combination of the Kyuubi's 'gift', Akisame's torturous regimen, and his own natural determination to improve molded his body into a near perfect vessel for Shadow Eel.

So it was that on the first day of his third week of training, Naruto found himself learning a series of stretches instead of being bundled into the 'torture trio', as he called the three stretching machines. He was also surprised when Akisame cut all of his exercises by half. After only two hours of physical training, his sensei called him over.

"It is time to introduce you to the basics of the Shadow Eel Style. It was for this reason that I cut down your workout. Your body is now well suited for what you will be learning. Starting today for two hour you will practice the katas that I will show you. After you learn the first four, I will start you on a series of training exercises to improve balance, awareness, and further improve your movement. But before we do anything else you must first change into something less restrictive."

Naruto's eyes briefly scrunched into confusion before widening in realization. He knew this day would come. Iruka had spent several nights drilling the need to think things through and to plan ahead into him. He had figured out that they would never let him keep his orange jumpsuit, not when it made him a target that was so easy to spot.

Sure enough, Akisame pulled out a pair of loose grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Naruto suppressed the urge to complain and graciously accepted his new clothes. Akisame was impressed at the self-control the boy demonstrated. He was well aware of his students need for attention that inspired his choice in clothes. It said much about his growth that he did not complain.

When Naruto returned, Akisame led him to a cleared area. "Now pay attention and I will show you the first of the eight katas you will learn." Akisame proceeded to slowly shift into a sequence of moves He shifted, ducked, twisted, and rolled in a graceful display. When he was done, he addressed his student. "I want you to through this kata slowly until I am satisfied that you can do it flawlessly. From there you will increase the pace until you can do it at full speed without mistake. Once you have become proficient with this kata we will move on to the next."

Akisame guided Naruto through the kata, correcting mistakes and adjusting his limbs until he was finally able to get through the routine on his own. The practice continued for the next two hours. In that time, Naruto had increased the speed of his movements three times. Akisame was more than satisfied with his pupil's development.

Naruto was surprised when, instead of the normal review of his morning etiquette lessons, his sensei decided to have a conversation with him. "So tell me Naru-chan," Naruto bristled at his teacher's pet name, "How have you found your training until now? Not just mine but all of your training?"

Naruto took time to think of an answer. No longer quite as impulsive as he once was, he considered the question his sensei had posed. "Well sensei, it's not always fun and I don't always enjoy it, but it's making me stronger. If I can get stronger and stay a ninja then it will all be worth it. No matter how painful, boring, or exhausting, if it helps me reach my dream then I will treasure every moment."

Akisame smiled but pressed on. "But do you not want to tell your friends. What about that pink-haired girl you like so much? Do you not want to impress her and show your strength?"

Naruto frowned for a moment. "Well honestly sensei, I do. But you, Iruka-sensei, and jiji have all told me how important it is to keep my skills secret. That if people find out what I can do they can counter it and I would be a lia… a liable… my team would have to protect me. If not bragging means I can keep Sakura-chan safe then that is way more important."

Akisame smiled at his students attempt to broaden his vocabulary. It must be Iruka's influence. What made the man more proud was the maturity the boy was beginning to show. It was further proof that he had made the right choice in training the boy. There was no doubt that the youngster still needed some polish but the diamond was beginning to show through the coal.

Lunch ended and they proceeded to move on with Naruto's chakra exercises. Akisame had decided to take the chakra control training to the next step by introducing his pupil to water walking. Needless to say, it took some time. Naruto's first endeavor failed spectacularly, but as the day rolled on, he began to get the hang of it.

Naruto finished his day studying with Iruka. They had advanced beyond purely academic shinobi studies to the more practical. Extending from his study of geography was a lesson on the preferred jutsu and methods of shinobi from other nations. Now that Naruto had a solid understanding of human anatomy, Iruka started to teach him the points that would incapacitate, cripple, or even kill an opponent. Naruto threw himself into his studies with renewed vigor. That is not to say that his time with Iruka was all fun and games. Naruto never wanted to hear another explanation of human reproduction as long as he lived.

The following week passed without major incident. Naruto had the first three katas down and was ready to begin the fourth by Monday. He was finally showing some major improvement in his calligraphy and was, to his shock, starting to enjoy it. It brought him a certain peace and tranquility he had never really known. This, by extension, brought him a calm and focus that he had previously had to fight to maintain.

It was Thursday of the fourth week when Akisame decided that Naruto had learned the first four katas to his satisfaction. The final test had been for Naruto to go through all four at full speed ten times without mistake. Having completed that task, Akisame decided it was now time for the next phase of his training.

"Alright Naru-chan, I think that it is time to put your training to practical use." Akisame saw the slight hesitation in his student. "Is something wrong Naruto?"

Naruto fidgeted as he tried to phrase his question in a way that would not offend his teacher. "Ano, well I was just wondering when I would start learning stances and attack combos and stuff like that?"

Akisame let out a hearty laugh. "Well I had wondered how long it would take you. Your patience has grown more than I thought. First of all, never be afraid to ask me questions about your training. I do not want a drone that will follow my instructions without thought. You must understand what it is you are learning for it to do any good. Now as to your question, the answer is … never." Naruto looked at his sensei in hurt astonishment. Akisame swiftly explained. "You see Naru-chan, in Shadow Eel, there are no stances or set combos. Shadow Eel is entirely freeform. We fight with a fluidity and unpredictability that would only be hindered by such things."

Naruto's eyes came alive with understanding. His master continued. "For example, if I trained you in a combo that went from block to knee strike to elbow, then every time you blocked and countered with a knee strike your next instinct would be to follow up with an elbow. However by simply training you in the proper execution of each attack and relying on your instincts and knowledge then no one can predict what you will do next, leaving them off balance and defensive. If your opponent is constantly on guard from your attacks then they are no longer attacking you which will leave you in control."

"Control your enemy!" Naruto responded.

"Exactly my boy. You see, our style itself is not difficult to learn, if you are properly suited for it. Most people just do not have the proper mindset. They require structure that we find limiting. That is why you could never be comfortable with the style taught at the academy. That style is all about structure and discipline. Ours is about confusion and disorder. So are you ready to put your newfound skills to the test?"

Naruto eagerly agreed. Akisame led the energetic nin over to the log structure he had seen on his first day. "This will be your training ground for the next several days. As you can see, each pole has a series of targets randomly placed around it. When hit the targets will glow slightly to acknowledge your attack. You must hit the target dead center with enough force to inflict damage on an enemy or the target will not register. Now, at the beginning of each session I will give you a few numbers. You must hit each target with those numbers on every pole within a time limit while constantly moving. This will increase your awareness, your speed, and your precision. To start, you will be confined to the outer ring without the netting. As you improve, I will activate the security seals. The seals blast a stream of pressurized water that will hurt if it connects. This will help with your dodging and keep you moving. Remember if you stop moving you become a target. And do not think you can memorize the positions of the targets as I will move them around between each session." Akisame chuckled at the pout that appeared on his pupils face. "When I think you are ready and have completed the course to my satisfaction, then we will begin sparring.

Naruto was excited to say the least. Finally, he would be able to apply his skills. With his new outlook, he was able to see the benefits of his master's obstacle course. A brief fantasy of him beating Sasuke and Sakura fawning over his awesome manliness drifted through his head. The young nin quickly squashed those thoughts. That was the old Naruto, now he more concerned with making sure his team would be safe from harm. Naruto turned to his teacher with a fierce resolve burning in his eyes. "Whenever your ready sensei."

* * *

Akisame could only marvel at his student's stamina and drive. Within the first fifteen minutes he had begun to get the hang of the exercise and had been working steadily ever since. That was not to say he did perfectly. The boy still missed targets and not all of his strikes were clean enough to register but he definitely showed promise. His slow but steady improvement led Akisame to hold great faith in his future.

Naruto realized that using the movements he had learned in his katas made the activity much easier. His sensei would also occasionally call out with helpful suggestions and advice that increased his performance. The two biggest contributions were a reference to tree climbing that led him to use the poles as stepping stones to get around obstacles and reach out of the way targets, and mention of using his peripheral vision to acquire targets. Armed with these hints his performance nearly doubled.

By lunch, Naruto was tired, sweaty and utterly ecstatic. His teacher had praised his progress while still acknowledging a need to improve. Naruto did not care, so long as he had gained a step on the road to full ninja status and eventually the title of Hokage. Naruto was introduced to a new form of chakra control once lunch ended. Instead of merely walking on water, he was now to practice his katas on the water. This forced him to channel chakra to various parts of his body while still maintaining enough concentration to execute his drills correctly. This had the added benefit of eventually enabling him to carry out both activities unconsciously.

* * *

As Naruto's first month of training drew to a close, the other members of Team 7 had not been idle. Sasuke had moved on from his 'emotional control' training to leaning the intricacies of his sharingan. This led to him acquiring the second tomoe in his left eye. Kakashi also laid down a set of ground rules governing its use that led to a heated discussion.

"I still don't see why you won't let me use my sharingan while I train. It will give me the power that I need." Sasuke bit off the rest of that statement, knowing full well what it would lead to. While he hated Kakashi for putting him through that ordeal, the boy had to admit that it led to fewer mistakes on his part. Not that he would say so out loud.

Kakashi sighed at the stubbornness of the Uchiha. "Think of it this way Sasuke. Let's say you do all your training using the sharingan. You become an A rank nin. During the course of a mission, you come across an S ranked nin who attacks you. Because you relied on your doujutsu, you have no surprises and are quickly outmatched. Now, let's say you do things my way. You become an A ranked nin and face off against the same S rank. Now you have a powerful tool at your disposal that increases your chance at survival. I'm not saying to totally ignore training your sharingan, but if you train your skills without it, when you do use it they will be that much more effective. Do you understand?"

Sasuke hated to admit it but the man had a point. Having a sharingan himself and with the reputation the boy now knew he had, maybe, just maybe he should listen. "Fine. I will do as you request."

Kakashi smiled at his young protégé. Meanwhile Sakura had her own training to worry about. She had found over the last month that her formerly lazy teacher could be a merciless slave driver. She secretly harbored the notion that his former laidback attitude had just been him saving up to unleash a torturous hell on them now. Her body constantly ached from the abuse he inflicted under the guise of training. However, complain as she might, she could not argue with the results. Her chakra reserve had more than doubled and her stamina and speed increased as well.

The biggest changes were in her taijutsu and genjutsu. Sakura had always prided herself on her textbook execution of the academy taijutsu style so it was disheartening to hear sensei claim her skills to be lacking. Kakashi explained that she was too rigid and adhered to the textbook application instead of adjusting to fit her own growth and the situation at hand. Under the jounin, she found a finesse and adaptability she had sorely lacked. Sakura's favorite training by far was her genjutsu training. Apparently, the girl took to genjutsu like a duck to water. Sakura found something in the art that she formerly lacked, confidence. In finding her niche, she no longer doubted her own worth to her team. She knew she had a place here. Her skill was such that she could even catch Sasuke in her illusions. Her crowning achievement was catching him once with his sharingan active. Of course, he quickly dispelled it, only to find Sakura's kunai at his throat. Combined with the medic training Kakashi has signed her up for, this was molding the girl into the ultimate support ninja.

Sakura's increase in skill went a long way towards improving Sasuke's view of his pink-haired teammate. Before she was just another annoying fan girl but now, she was a budding kunoichi who showed promise. Not that it changed his romantic feelings. He still refused to go out with the girl but at least now, she was useful. So he tried, at the behest of Kakashi, to be a little nicer to her.

None of Team 7 mentioned the aching void they all felt. They all found themselves missing the lovable blond idiot at various times. Kakashi, for all his new seriousness, missed his former student's antics. The boy really lightened the mood and without him things tended to be too somber for his taste. Sasuke would sometimes find himself turning to smirk at the boy after an achievement only to find him gone. He couldn't understand when his absent teammate had become someone worthy of his attention but he had. Sakura was affected the most. Her days were just not as bright without him constantly begging her for a date. As annoying as he could be, Naruto had a way of making her feel good about herself. No matter how bad she felt he could always put a smile on her face. Naruto really was the heart of Team 7 and they sorely missed him.

* * *

"Ready? 2, 3, and 5. Begin." Akisame stood on the central pillar of the obstacle course overseeing his young apprentice.

Naruto launched himself into the course, striking two targets as he went. The young nin turned his forward charge into a roll, springing up into an uppercut at another target. He still found it difficult to hit all the numbered targets his sensei called out while avoiding the others, especially since he had to keep moving the whole time.

"Remember Naruto, constant motion is the key. When you stop you become easier to hit."

Naruto suddenly shifted to his right as a kunai zipped through the space he had just vacated. Slipping into a spin, he lashed out with a side kick into another target. He used the resistance of the pole to push off into a reverse spin as he leaped up to deliver a crushing roundhouse to another pole.

"Very good. Other ninja may throw punches or kicks we lash out with crippling strikes and devastating blows. Use the strength of your center. Your power comes from your hips and waist. Lash out with speed and recover quickly. That is the essence of Shadow Eel." Akisame was pleased with the boy's growth. With the introduction of practical application, Naruto's skill in the style had drastically improved.

Naruto leaped, rolled, dived and dodged the occasional kunai as he made his way through the course. He was just happy that his teacher stuck to the outer area, the inner area with all that rope woven throughout the logs was just plain intimidating. The exercise was hard enough as it was. Naruto cursed as his last strike hit off-center and wasn't registered by the target. He was coming closer to being able to complete the course with a perfect score. Hell, if his sensei would stop cutting the time he had to finish he would have done it already.

Akisame smiled. He knew Naruto was frustrated with his apparent lack of progress, but the boy did not realize that by giving him less time to complete the exercise, he was forcing him to increase his speed of both body and mind. Naruto's natural aptitude for on the spot planning and analysis had only grown as time passed. His ability was rough and undefined but with time and polish, the boy could be an excellent field leader. Maybe it was time to introduce him to strategy games.

Akisame called a stop several minutes later. He ran a practiced eye over the field as his student ran up. "Hmm, out of 195 targets you missed twelve, and you hit four of the wrong targets. Not bad, but there is room for improvement. Remember to use your peripheral vision and build a mental map of the area around you. You can always return at a later time to catch the ones you miss, but if you hit the wrong target you can not take that back."

"Sensei, this would be easier if you quit moving the targets around and cutting my time down," Naruto pouted.

His teacher looked at him with an amused expression. "Do you think your enemies will be as helpful? Do you think they will give you time to act and remain in place while you do so?"

"Hai sensei, I know. I just don't want to fail you. I don't want to let down you or Hokage-jiji after all you have done for me."

Akisame felt a swell of pride in his pupil. "Naru-chan, I could not be prouder of you if you were my own flesh and blood. As long as you strive to improve and never give up then you will never let me down. I'm sure Hokage-sama feels the same way."

Naruto fought the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. "Thank you sensei." The last week had been exhausting even for the violet-eyed bundle of energy. His morning practice now focused on perfecting his movements and repeatedly running the training course. His afternoon chakra control lessons had evolved into full spars on top of the training pool. Needless to say, the constant evasive maneuvers he had to go through while staying on the surface raised his control substantially.

Naruto found it hard to believe that five weeks had already passed since he began his training. It had been hard and at times painful but he had gained so much from his training. He would never be able to express his gratitude to his teachers and the Hokage for giving him this chance.

Lunch passed quickly. All meals were now solely prepared by Naruto, Akisame being confident in the boy's rudimentary culinary ability. It was a quiet and relaxing affair as Naruto burgeoning sense of propriety had finally kicked in. His etiquette lessons had tapered off and now the two just enjoyed the meals and the company.

When Naruto finished his training for the day, Akisame called him over. "Naruto you have grown much in the time that you have been with me and I see the potential that you possess. That is why starting Monday your training schedule will be altered. From now on after lunch you will no longer be training with me." Seeing the look of protest on the boys face, he quickly headed off the impending argument. "This is because you will now be receiving training from your new sensei." That caught the blonds' attention. What new skill would he be learning now? Maybe he would become an awesome swordsman or learn some cool secret ninja technique that didn't require chakra.

Naruto remembered his training and calmed himself. "What will I be learning now sensei, and who is my new teacher? Is it anyone I know?"

Akisame chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Well I'm not sure about that. I was told to have you report to the Hokage's office after lunch on Monday."

Naruto was ecstatic. He would be getting a new teacher and learning a new skill. It could not get any better.

Naruto's exuberance lasted only until he met up with Iruka at his apartment. The chuunin was regrettably forced to tell him that their time together had come to an end. On one hand, Naruto was happy when Iruka told him that he was proud of the progress he had made in his studies but he would miss the man he thought of as an older brother. To cushion the blow the news had inflicted, Iruka treated the melancholy genin to ramen at Ichiraku's.

Naruto went to bed that night glad that tomorrow was his day off. While he was disappointed that he wouldn't be learning from Iruka, he was eager to see what new things he would be learning and who his new mystery teacher was.

* * *

Naruto woke up early Sunday morning. He did not wake up that early by choice but as a consequence of his training. After a hearty breakfast, he pulled out his calligraphy set and began to practice. Where once he found the art to be boring and difficult, as he gained some semblance of skill and patience, he began to enjoy the calming relaxation it brought on. After two hours of practice, he packed up his supplies and considered what he would do for the rest of the day. He enjoyed his days off but didn't go out much to avoid running into his former classmates. It was not that he didn't want to see them but it would be awkward to explain what he had been doing lately. Finally, he decided that enough was enough and he needed to get out more.

Naruto thought about taking a walk around the village or maybe finding the Konohamaru corps and playing ninja with them in the park. Looking at the clock, he decided that it was still a bit too early for that. So, having nothing else to do he pulled out the book that Iruka had given him the night before. Leave it to the chuunin teacher to give a guy a book. As he opened the cover, he saw a handwritten note. "Naruto, I want you to know that I have complete faith in you. Never let anything stop you. Your heart and spirit are greater than anyone I have ever known. Here is something to guide you as you follow the path to your dream. I'm proud of you, Iruka."

Naruto smiled and blinked back a tear as he flipped the page. He was pleasantly surprised to find it was a book about the exploits of the Hokages. Naruto sat engrossed as he read about the Shodaime and Nidaime founding the village. He was astounded at fact that the Sandaime was known as the Proffesor and the God of Shinobi. He had no idea that old coot was that strong but it just served to increase the respect he already had for the man. But what truly captivated him was his personal hero, the Yondaime. Naruto read about the Yellow Flash and how he was instrumental in ending the Third Shinobi War. The young boy sat for several minutes just staring at a picture of the ninja legend, standing with his arms folded on the back of a giant toad with his signature coat flowing in the breeze and a smile on his face. This was the man he wished to be like, no to surpass.

He sighed and put the book away. Naruto moved around his small apartment, watering his plants and generally tidying up the place. He got dressed and went out when he was done. He walked around the village with no particular destination in mind. As he wandered, he noticed that he still received those cold looks and hard stares but he found that, while it still hurt, the pain had lessened substantially. Naruto smiled as he thought of the people in his life, especially those who were helping him reach his goals. As long as they believed in him then to hell with what the rest of these bastards thought. "I'll protect 'em all in spite of how they treat me. That's what a Hokage does."

Naruto realized he had reached the park. Sure enough, Konohamaru was there with his two friends Moegi and Udon. The three kids were chasing each other around a couple of trees when they finally caught sight of him.

"Boss!"

"Naruto-niichan!"

Naruto could not help but smile at his miniature fan club. "Hey guys, what're you up to?"

Konohamaru, the de facto leader of the bunch was quick to reply. "We're playing ninja, Boss."

Moegi smiled shyly at the older boy. "Would you come and play with us, Naruto-niichan? Please?"

Naruto broke out in a wide grin. "Sure guys. Lets go!"

The three academy students raced around trying to corner the genin as he laughed and kept ahead of them. They spent half the day playing in the park. As the afternoon drew near, the four lay in the shade of a tree resting. Naruto suddenly sat up and looked around.

"Not bad kid. Good to see those ninja senses are still active."

The Konohamaru corps looked up to see Sarutobi Asuma resting on a branch of a nearby tree. "Uncle Asuma what are you doing here?"

Asuma leaped down to land in front of the four. "Sorry to bust up the fun but pops sent me to get you three." A chorus of complaint burst forth from the trio. Asuma smiled indulgently as he took a drag of his cigarette. He turned to Naruto and gave him a once over. "How you been kid? I heard about what happened, tough break."

"Hey Asuma-sensei. I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. You haven't seen the last of Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said.

Asuma could only marvel at the confidence and optimism of the boy. "That's good to hear. Have you been keeping in touch with your old team?"

Naruto squinted up at the man as he considered his answer. "Naw, I haven't seen them, but they're probably busy. I was working on something so I haven't been around much."

Asuma looked at the kid with a hint of suspicion. "Yeah well, I heard that after your accident, Kakashi started working them into the ground. To be honest I think I should probably step up my teams training too. Anyway, it's good to see you kid."

"Tell Ino, Shikamaru and Choji that I said hi." Asuma waved in reply and they parted ways.

As Asuma watched the energetic youngster run off, he thought about what the kid said. "I wonder what he's up to and if pops has anything to do with it." He took another drag on his cigarette. "Maybe I should talk to Kakashi, he might know something." He thought it over for a second. "I'll do it later. I wonder if Kurenai is busy tonight." With that, he herded the three rug rats out of the park as visions of a red-eyed beauty brought a slight blush to his face.

* * *

Naruto strolled sedately through the village on the way to the Hokage's office. Akisame let him leave early after lunch so he was in no hurry. Naruto smiled as he remembered his morning practice. Akisame had finally started incorporating the use of kunai and shuriken into Naruto's training. Of course, this meant that now he had to increase his accuracy with the weapons but his time in the obstacle course would help with that.

Naruto greeted the guards at the tower as he made his way up to see the old man. He could not help but wonder what he would be learning and who he would learn it from. When he reached the secretaries desk he felt a brief pang at seeing a pretty female chuunin instead of Iruka. The scarred teacher had been released to prepare for the next semester of the academy.

Naruto wanted to make a good impression so he decided to practice the manners that had been drilled into him. "Good afternoon ma'am, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I was told to see Hokage-sama."

The secretary was surprised to say the least. This was not the bratty loudmouthed prankster that the village was familiar with. While she herself did not care for the twerp, the Sandaime had stressed that he would take any unfair treatment of the boy personally. Therefore, seeing how he made an attempt to be polite, the least she could do was return the favor. "Good afternoon Uzumaki-san. My name is Kisara. Hokage-sama told me to send you in as soon as you arrived."

"Thank you Kisara-san," he said as he entered the office.

Sarutobi sat behind his desk going over a scroll as the young nin entered. "Ah, Naruto my boy, how have you been?"

Naruto smiled at the old timer. "Pretty good jiji. What about you? You ready to hand over that hat yet?"

Sarutobi laughed at the boy's enthusiasm. "Not just yet Naruto-kun. No, I wanted to inform you of the next stage of your training. Akisame-san has told me that you are advancing faster than he expected in learning Shadow Eel and Iruka has given me a glowing report on your progress in making up your academy lessons. It was for that reason along with Iruka returning as an instructor that I have decided to add two new areas of study to your training. Because you have shown sufficient maturity, focus, and dedication I am entrusting you with the responsibility of learning bojutsu and fuinjutsu." The Sandaime paused as he looked at the genin.

Naruto gave a valiant effort to remain patient but he couldn't take it any more. "So who's going to teach me?"

The old fire shadow gave him a mischievous grin. "I am."

Naruto nearly fainted at the news. He, the dead last, the failure, the outcast would be receiving lessons from the Proffesor himself. What happened next not only surprised Sarutobi but would have shocked anyone who had known Naruto. The boy got up and solemnly bowed before the Sandaime. With a sense of gravity that few would think him capable of, he addressed his leader. "Thank you Hokage-sama for this honor. I will strive to uphold the trust you have placed in me and I promise to learn all you have to teach me. I only wish to make you proud."

Sarutobi smiled, knowing he had chosen wisely. "I am already proud of you my boy. I could not be any prouder than if you were my own grandson." Naruto was growing to become a true shinobi of the leaf.

Naruto rose, his eyes glistening and a wide cheeky grin plastered on his face. "Thanks jiji, I won't let you down."

Sarutobi smiled indulgently at him. He reached into his desk and pulled out a scroll edged in red. He gave it to the excited genin before speaking. "This scroll contains the basic theories and applications of seals. Read the first three chapters tonight. Starting tomorrow you will report here after lunch. I will have a desk set up for your use. You will study every day and be tested on the information you learn. Should you prove able and I determine you to be ready, I will instruct you on creating basic seals. Remember Naruto, seals are an extremely dangerous area of study that is usually only taught once you become a chuunin. Were it not for your inability to use ninjutsu and genjutsu, I would hesitate to teach you this. Should you abuse my trust or show no talent for the art then the lessons will end with no argument. Am I understood?" Naruto quickly nodded his head. "Good. After two hours we will move to a private room where I will begin your training in the use of the bo staff."

Naruto could not contain his grin at the news. He would show the old man his faith was not misplaced. Nothing would stop him.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Naruto began training with the Sandaime and he could not have been happier. Well maybe if Akisame would stop using his training as a chance to hit him with sharp pointy objects but that would be asking too much. Honestly, it was as if the man enjoyed torturing his student, never mind that it increased his awareness and reflexes tremendously, but he was tired of patching his training clothes every Sunday.

As for his training with the Sandaime, well, he enjoyed the bojutsu practice but the fuinjutsu lessons were a pain. His first week Sarutobi taught him the basics, like how to hold the staff and how to execute a proper strike and defend himself. The most important lesson was to make the staff an extension of your body. Naruto took this concept and ran with it. Naruto simply incorporated his bojutsu into his Shadow Eel to make a potentially devastating new style. What he lost in maneuverability he gained in reach and deflective ability. He became particularly adept at using one end of the staff to intercept and shift his opponents attack while using the other end to counterattack. Sarutobi saw this and, instead of trying to force him to learn a formal style, decided to focus on increasing his skill with basic maneuvers.

Naruto's fuinjutsu lessons, while productive, did not come as easy. The meditation and calligraphy lessons came fully into play during this time. He would never have been able to concentrate on the dry theory he was forced to learn. But it paid off in the end since today he would finally be allowed to learn actual seals.

Naruto sat at his desk with barely suppressed anticipation. The old man smiled at his eager pupil before adopting a stern expression and beginning the lesson.

"Now Naruto, since you have gained a solid working knowledge of the basic theory of sealing, today I will teach you one of the most common and widely used seals. The storage seal will become one of your most used seals. Particularly for you, since you will have to rely on weapons for mid to long-range combat, but for any shinobi. Storage seals and storage scrolls are useful for carrying a large amount of equipment without being burdened by a cumbersome or heavy pack. Shuriken, kunai, supplies, a wide variety of object can be stored for latter use. "

Naruto raised his hand, "So then if I use scrolls then I can have a whole bunch of weapons and not have to worry about running out?"

"That is correct. But remember the scroll only contains what was sealed into it. There are several different types of storage seals but today we will start with the most basic."

The Hokage spent the next fifteen minutes demonstrating the seal then having Naruto copy it while he watched and corrected him. When Naruto was finally able to recreate the seal he continued perfectly. "Now I want you to practice drawing the seal. Remember, the seal must be draw correctly. Any imperfections could result in it not working or working incorrectly. You must focus and concentrate. Practice until drawing the seal becomes second nature."

Naruto spent the rest of the lesson practicing the storage seal. At the end of the day, the Sandaime had him draw the seal ten times in a row. When Naruto copied the seal perfectly each time he was impressed. "Very good Naruto-kun. I did not expect you to get it this quickly."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned. "It must have been all that calligraphy I've been doing." A thought struck Naruto leaving him gapping at the smug fire shadow. "Hey! That's why you and Akisame-sensei made me learn it. You knew it would help. You been planning this from the start old man," he accused.

The Sandaime laughed and nodded his head. "That's right my boy. Now as a reward for learning the seal so quickly I want you to take these scrolls." He handed the boy three scrolls. "Use these to make your own storage scrolls."

"Thanks jiji," he replied. "So what other seals are you going to teach me?"

The Sandaime eyed Naruto speculatively. "I have decided to supplement your combat ability by teaching you two more seals. I believe you have shown the maturity required to use them wisely." Naruto stood solemnly, realizing the gravity of his teacher's decision. "Therefore, next I will teach you to make exploding notes and shock tags. These will be useful in giving you more long-range offensive capability."

It took all of his willpower for Naruto to contain his excitement. The Hokage had shown great trust in him and it would be so foolish as to blow it by acting like an over eager idiot. "Thank you sir. I promise to use what you teach me wisely."

"Good. Now let's get going. You still have to practice your bojutsu." With that the two headed to the training room for the rest of his lesson.

* * *

Team 7 had been busy over the last month as well. Sakura had been working with Kakashi to expand beyond the basic taijutsu. While she had yet to learn a new style, she adapted the academy style to make it her own. She had practiced the three genjutsu she learned until she could do them flawlessly and even created her own with help from Kakashi. She had even gotten to the point where she could combine them if she was careful. Sakura was most proud of her budding medic skills. The young kunoichi had mastered basic first aid and had begun to learn medical jutsu. Besides diagnostic and anesthetic techniques, she had learned the most basic healing jutsu.

Meanwhile Sasuke had been training to increase the speed of his hand-seals and mastering the fire jutsu he had already learned. Kakashi had also forced him to increase his chakra reserves and control. Kakashi helped Sasuke adjust to using the Uchiha Intercepting Fist taijutsu style with his sharingan active.

The last two weeks were spent training together. Both genin had been taught water walking and teamwork exercises. Where before the drills were done to promote teamwork, they were now done to help them become acquainted with their new abilities. So far they worked well together but Kakashi knew they were missing one integral piece to make them perfect. This is why Kakashi found himself waiting for his team that Friday, after having spoken with the Hokage.

Both Sakura and Sasuke were surprised to see Kakashi sitting on one of the logs in the training ground while reading his little orange book. Neither genin had seen the book in the past two months. Sakura looked at Sasuke questioningly to which he just shrugged.

Kakashi closed his book and smiled at his students. He did so love messing with their minds. "Good morning my cute little genin," the masked nin said.

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei."

"Hn. Morning."

The two kids knew something was up. Their teacher had not acted this strange in a while.

"You will be happy to know that practice is cancelled until Monday morning."

"Do you have a mission, sensei?" Sakura responded.

"No, I just thought you should get some rest before meeting your new teammate," Kakashi stated in an offhand manner.

Sasuke and Sakura were both caught off guard. While they knew intellectually that they would have to get a new teammate, it had not really sunk in. A small part of them kept expecting Naruto to show up. Sakura in particular felt guilty, as she had not visited her former teammate since he was in the hospital and even then, he was unconscious. Kakashi had kept them so busy they really did not have time during the week and on her one off day, all she wanted to do was rest.

Sasuke really was not sure how he felt about the news. If he was completely honest with himself, he found that he did rather miss the smiling idiot. He just hoped the new guy was at least competent. Sakura had finally become useful and he dreaded having another useless member on the team.

"Ano, sensei, who is our new teammate? And what about Naruto? What will he do?" Sakura was embarrassed that she had no clue what the boy had been up to since leaving the team, but she did wish him the best. Maybe since she was off she would go visit him today.

Kakashi held a finger to his chin, appearing to be lost in thought. "Hmm… I have no idea. We'll find out Monday when we meet in the Hokage's office at eight o'clock. As for Naruto, Asuma said he saw him a while back playing with the Hokage's grandson and his friends. Other than that…" The jounin shrugged. "Anyway, get some rest and enjoy yourselves until Monday. Ja nei." With that the copy nin shunshined away.

Sakura turned to Sasuke and asked, "Hey Sasuke-kun, do you want to go with me to visit Naruto?"

Sasuke looked at the girl as he considered his answer. Even though he did miss Naruto slightly, he was no longer a member of their team so why try to hold on to that connection. "Why? It is pointless. Naruto is no longer on our team and we won't have time to see him regularly anyway so why bother." Having said his piece, the emotionally closed off boy headed home.

Sakura was taken aback at Sasuke's apathetic attitude. She felt as if they had growth closer over the last few weeks and that he had been slowly coming out of his emotional shell. To hear him speak like that about their former teammate both hurt and infuriated her. She couldn't help but ask herself if he would feel the same if it were her.

Sakura shook off the negative feelings. She would just visit Naruto herself. Sakura headed for Naruto's apartment. Since it was still morning and knowing Naruto hated waking up early, she assumed he would still be home in bed. Needless to say, Sakura was a bit put out when, after knocking for several minutes, no one answered the door. Just as her frustration was about to get the better of her, one of his neighbors saw her at his door.

"If you're looking for that pest, he isn't here. He leaves out early every morning. Don't know where he goes; don't much care either. Better than him hanging around here," the old lady said.

"Well thank you." Sakura wondered why the woman didn't seem to like Naruto, but then she figured Naruto must have pulled a prank on her. But still she asked herself, if Naruto was no longer a ninja, where was he going every day?"

* * *

Saturday morning found Naruto in a state of confusion. After breakfast, instead of heading to the training area, Akisame led Naruto to the Hokage tower. The elder man refused o answer any of Naruto's questions so he decided to practice patience and just wait until they got there. He was doubly confused when they entered the Sandaime's office to find Jiraiya and Iruka there waiting with Sarutobi. They all greeted each other and sat at the behest of the Hokage.

"Naruto I have invited your teachers here to talk to you about your future." Naruto looked at the old man with just a hint of anxiety. "We have discussed your development since you began your training and I have come to a decision." Hiruzen turned to Iruka. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Iruka smiled. "Thank you Hokage-sama. Come here Naruto." Naruto was a bit apprehensive as he walked to the chuunin. "Naruto it is my pleasure to welcome you back into the ranks as an active shinobi."

Naruto was speechless. The four older nin looked on as he tried to contain the tears of joy that threatened to fall from his eyes. He turned and bowed to them. "Thank you Iruka-sensei, Akisame-sensei, Jiraiya-san, and especially you Hokage-sama. If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would have done. I will try to repay your kindness and your faith in me by becoming a great shinobi and eventually the greatest Hokage in history!"

Sarutobi smiled proudly at his most recent pupil. "We know you will Naruto. Now as your teachers, we have chosen to get you some gifts that will help you in your return to active duty."

Akisame stepped up first. "Here you are Naru-chan," he said with a kind smile.

Naruto opened the box to find several sets of shinobi uniforms. His eyes widened at what he saw. "But sensei you said…"

"I know what I said. That is why they are reversible. You will notice that the inside is dark green. When on missions you can turn it inside out for better stealth. I know how much you love orange and I did not have the heart to totally take it away."

"Thank you sensei," the boy gratefully replied.

Iruka came next. "I gave you this once before Naruto and it gives me great pleasure to give you another." Iruka handed him a length of black cloth that unfolded to reveal a new forehead protector. "This new one can open up into a bandana to hide that bright blond head of yours. It goes with your new stealthy look." The chuunin then pulled out a small package. "Hokage-sama told me about your learning fuinjutsu so I talked to Jiraiya-sama and he helped me pick out this."

Naruto opened the box to find several brushes, inkwells and empty vials and bowls. "This is a basic fuinjutsu set. It contains sealing ink and the vials and bowls are for when you need to collect and mix other elements into your ink for special seals."

"Thanks you Iruka-sensei," the boy cried happily.

Jiraiya handed Sarutobi a small package. Taking the bundle, Hiruzen turned back to Naruto. "This is from both Jiraiya and I." Naruto opened the package and pulled out a set of black fingerless gloves with a metal plate on the back engraved with the symbol of the leaf. "Now my boy these gloves are engraved with a special conversion seal. When the seal is activated and you channel chakra to your hands, it will convert your chakra into lightning chakra."

"Cool so when I hit someone it will shock them, right?"

"That is correct."

"Did you make these jiji?"

Before Sarutobi could answer, Jiraiya interrupted. "No the old monkey got me to do it. After all I am one of the greatest seal masters alive." Jiraiya beamed at the young boy as Hiruzen glowered at him.

The Sandaime reached behind his desk and pulled out a beautiful hardwood bo staff with metal caps at each end. "This is from me. May it serve you well."

Naruto was so choked up he could hardly speak. Not only was he going to be able to once again work towards his dream but some of his most precious loved ones were giving him the tools to succeed. Naruto jumped out of his seat and hugged the man he came to consider a grandfather. "Thank you jiji. Thank you all for everything."

They all smiled indulgently at the emotion genin. "Now all that is left is to reunite you with your team. Report back Monday morning at eight. Until then enjoy your weekend and have some ramen on me." The Hokage pulled out his wallet and handed him some money."

Naruto raced out of the office on his way to Ichiraku's. He felt better than he had in a long time. He would finally be back with his team, with his family.

* * *

Team 7 arrived at the Hokage's office shortly before eight that Monday morning. The chuunin secretary showed them right in. After greeting the Sandaime, they stood in front of his desk and awaited their new teammate. Hiruzen watched them as they stood there. Sasuke appeared disinterested and Sakura seemed a bit glum. Kakashi, on the other hand, was quietly amused.

At precisely eight o'clock, the chuunin secretary knocked on the door. "Hokage-sama, the genin you were waiting for has arrived."

"Thank you Kisara. Please send him in." Sarutobi looked at Team 7 with a hint of pleasure. "Allow me to introduce your new teammate," The door opened and the two genin were flabbergasted by who walked in. "I believe you three know Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto stood there with a bright smile on his face. Sakura and Sasuke were both speechless at the changes in the boy. Gone was the hideous orange jumpsuit and in its place he wore black ninja sandals, dark grey pants, a short sleeve mesh undershirt and a dark orange vest. On his head he wore a new forehead protector on black cloth and fingerless black gloves on his hands. Naruto wore two kunai holsters, one on each thigh, a utility pouch on his right hip and three scrolls on his left. The most remarkable changes were the physical ones. Naruto had always been short. Now he was roughly the same height as Sasuke. He had lost some of the baby fat in his face giving him a more mature look. His normally baby blue eyes were now a vibrant violet hue and the birthmarks on his cheeks seemed darker and more rugged. The overall impression was one of seriousness and competence.

Naruto grinned. "Hey guys, did you miss me?" Now it was Naruto's turn to be shocked when Sakura threw herself at him with a choked cry. Sasuke watched impassively as his female teammate hugged the blond while babbling incoherently. Most people would have missed it but Kakashi and Sarutobi each saw the slight smile that momentarily broke out on his face.

Once Sakura had collected herself, the Hokage addressed the team. "Now I know that you have many questions and a lot of catching up to do so you are dismissed. Kakashi take the rest of the week to allow them to get reacquainted with one another." He turned to the genin. "Use this time to familiarize yourselves with each others abilities. I trust that you three will do fine. Kakashi wait here for a second."

"You three wait for me at the training ground. I will be there shortly." Kakashi turned to his leader once his team had left. "Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and lit his pipe before speaking. "I know we discussed Naruto and his abilities when we met last Friday. I want to know what you intend to do now. As you know the chuunin exams are in two weeks and there has been much interest from those who wish to see the last Uchiha participate." After taking a long draw he continued, "The choice is up to you as their sensei. Do you wish to enter Team 7 into the chuunin exams?"

Kakashi considered the choice for a minute before responding. "Yes Hokage-sama, I Hatake Kakashi wish to nominate Team 7 consisting of Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto for the chuunin exams."

Sarutobi raised his eyebrows at this. While he felt obligated to ask he had never expected Kakashi to actually do it. "Would you like to explain your reasons?"

Kakashi hesitated momentarily before he answered. "I understand that Naruto has just returned to active duty and they have yet to work together in the field but I believe this would be a good experience for them. I know you would not have let Naruto return had you not believed him ready and since the exams are in Konoha this year it will be the safest time for them to gain working knowledge of the exam. Not only that but it will give all three of them the chance to gain real combat experience in a venue that, while still dangerous, will be more manageable than if we were out in the field."

Kakashi waited as the Sandaime contemplated his response. "Very well Kakashi, I will trust your judgment. Team 7 is hereby entered into the chuunin exams. But Kakashi let me make one thing clear." Sarutobi rose from his seat to glare at the sweating jounin while releasing a moderate amount of killing intent. "Should these children not be prepared and anything happens to them you will answer to me personally. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the man gasped in reply.

"Very well then, you may go."

"That was close," Kakashi thought. "Now to make sure I have nothing to worry about." With that thought, he wandered off to meet his team with visions of the new forms of torture he could put them through.

* * *

**A/N: Well there you have it. Naruto gets to take the exam after all. I had actually considered not putting him there but then I thought of all the changes I could make and I didn't want to pass up the chance. The lineup for the finals will be different than what you are used to. The ripples caused by Naruto's accident will start to spread out from here though certain key events will still take place. I tried to show the teams improvement in this chapter without getting bogged down in minute details. How do you all like Naruto's new look. I went for more professional attire while staying true to the character. Anyway time to get started on the next chapter. See you then. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hey everybody. Sorry about the delay but I somehow acquired a nasty computer virus and I had a hell of a time getting rid of it. Anyway, I've had a couple of people ask about the possibility of Naruto learning the rasengan. The idea is that since it is simply shape manipulation and chakra control it should be possible. I'm sorry to say that Naruto will not be learning the Yondaime's rasengan. Let me explain. As long as Naruto is molding chakra internally (like for tree climbing) he is fine since his chakra acts as a buffer. When he channels chakra into an object (like a seal) or simply expels chakra from his body (like for water walking) he is fine since his chakra still acts as a buffer right up until the point it leaves his body. When he tries to molds chakra externally for a jutsu, only his own responds. This causes a build up of demonic chakra, which causes the backlash. It is the equivalent to stripping the insulation from a live wire while it is underwater. Not the smartest thing to do. I hope that clears things up. Don't worry, Naruto will have a bag of tricks that will more than make up for his lack of jutsu, just be patient. He will design most of his arsenal during the time skip, although will see hints of the development process he uses beforehand.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 5

The genin of Team 7 walked silently through the village on the way to the training ground, each lost in their own thoughts. Naruto sported a slight blush and a cheeky grin as he basked in the memory of Sakura hugging him. Said rosette kept her eyes fixed firmly on the ground as embarrassment tinged her ears and neck red. Sasuke maintained his normal stoic façade while internally his mind raced as he tried to decipher this new turn of events.

Team 7 reached their favorite training ground and Sasuke finally could endure no longer. He rounded on his 'new' teammate determined to get answers. "Ok dobe, what the hell is going on? The last we heard you could not use jutsu. What happened? Did they fix it?"

Sakura could not believe it. Sasuke had never shown this much interest in anyone as far as she could recall. "Naruto, what happened on the bridge? The only thing I saw was Kakashi-sensei accidentally stab you with his attack. Please tell us what is going on. We thought your ninja career was over and now you are back on the team. Talk to us, please? " Sakura's voice held confusion and concern.

Naruto sat with his back against one of the three posts situated in the ground. The same one he had been tied to after the bell test, as he remembered. The young man sighed and contemplated his answer. While he could not tell them the whole truth, they deserved an explanation. "Well I don't remember everything but I'll tell you what I can." Naruto looked up at the sky so he would not have to look his team in the eye as he lied. "I remember fighting on the bridge when Sasuke went down. He sacrificed himself for me." Sasuke looked away from the two as heat crept into his cheeks. He didn't know himself what made him move to protect the dobe, he just did.

Naruto continued, "It hurt, after I promised never to need saving, for him to have to protect me. I got mad. All I could see was red. I felt chakra flow through my body, making me stronger and I attacked the hunter-nin. That's when we heard the noise from Kakashi-sensei's jutsu. Haku went to save Zabuza but I chased him. I couldn't let him get away after what he did. I was blinded by my rage and got between sensei and Zabuza. The lightning chakra from sensei's jutsu combined with… the chakra and did something to my coils. From what the medic told me I probably won't ever be able to use jutsu again."

Sasuke clenched and unclenched his fist as he listened to Naruto's story. The young Uchiha felt anger, confusion, and shame. The anger and confusion were directed towards the blond. Who was Sasuke to him that he would go that far to avenge his apparent death. The shame was solely directed at himself that he would be so weak that he even needed Naruto of all people to avenge him.

"Oh Naruto." Sakura knew she had underestimated the young genin before her. She was still curious, "But that doesn't explain how you're a ninja still. Wouldn't it be dangerous for you, you know, since you can't…" she trailed off, not wanting to embarrass the boy.

She need not have bothered. Naruto had a suspicious grin plastered on his face. "Neh Sakura-chan, don't worry about me. I've been training since I got out off the hospital. You'll see I'm an awesome ninja. I won't let something like that stop me."

Neither remaining member of Team 7 could believe his confidence. His voice held so much conviction that despite the situation, they found themselves almost believing that he could. Sakura smiled, it was good to have him back.

Sasuke sat down next to the boy. "Che, whatever dobe. We have been training hard as well so you better be able to keep up." Sakura turn just fast enough to see the ghost of a smile on Sasuke's face.

Naruto laughed. "Just watch teme. I'll be kicking your butt up and down this field." With that statement, it was made clear to anyone who knew them that Team 7 was back.

* * *

Kakashi watched his pupils. He had arrived just as Naruto began his story and hidden in the trees. This was something the boy had to do on his own. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Naruto's clever twisting of the truth. But he was even prouder of the reactions of the other two. It showed that they had begun to grow up and that beyond anything else they were a team.

Now that they were finally reunited, it was time to establish the teamwork that would see them through the trails ahead. Kakashi had to hone them into a solid fighting unit. After all, it was his neck on the line.

* * *

Naruto suppressed an impudent grin. They had spent the last hour sparing against each other and then together against Kakashi. The other three members of his squad were amazed at his unorthodox fighting style. Kakashi had been briefed by the Sandaime about the young genin's training but he had never expected anything like this. Naruto was never quite where you expected him to be. He was always in motion and seemed to either avoid or redirect any force used against him.

Sasuke was frustrated by the blonds' new style. The Uchiha survivor never expected his teammate to be this good. After five minutes he was finally forced to activate his sharingan and what he saw both perplexed and intimidated him. Normally when Sasuke used his doujutsu for melee combat it allowed him to see his opponents movements an instant before they made them. This in turn enabled him to respond faster than normal. This was the true secret to the Uchiha Intercepting Fist. When Sasuke faced Naruto however, instead of seeing what move he would make, he saw a hazy jumble of several movements. It was only when Naruto actually began his maneuver that the images would snap into focus but by then it was to late. Sasuke realized that somehow Naruto's taijutsu style practically circumvented his greatest weapon.

Sakura had it even worse. Even with his sharingan ineffectual, Sasuke was still gifted at combat and had a personal style he trained extensively in. Sakura had made the academy style work for her but was nowhere near the Uchiha's level of skill. Naruto seemed to simply flow around all of her attacks and to slip past her defenses to strike at her vulnerable areas. This was not to say the boy was unbeatable. If either genin managed to pin him down, they could then batter through his guard to strike him. It was just exceedingly difficult to do.

Finally, the time came for the three genin to face Kakashi. Kakashi had decided that they would replicate the bell test, this time with three bells. After a brief whispered conference, they moved into a triangle formation with Naruto and Sasuke in the front and Sakura in the back on support. Sasuke quickly engaged the one-eyed jounin with taijutsu hoping to grab his attention. Naruto hung back to guard Sakura while she readied a genjutsu. Kakashi smiled while blocking and dodging Sasuke's attacks. This was what he was hoping for. The forced separation his team had endured made them appreciate each other more.

The copy-nin opted to go on the offensive. Grabbing Sasuke's right leg as he went for a side kick, he then reached out, snatched the boy by the front of his shirt, and tossed him over his shoulder. Kakashi then headed towards Sakura only to be intercepted by Naruto who stood in his way with two kunai held in a downward grip. Kakashi smiled and launched a kick at Naruto only for him to duck and roll towards his legs. Kakashi leaped to the side having seen how quickly the violet-eyed blond could maneuver that way. Instead of pursuing Naruto jumped up and threw the two kunai at his teacher. Kakashi readied his own kunai to block but instead jerked to the side when he noticed the tags wrapped around the handles of the flying projectiles. Sure enough, as they passed him Kakashi heard a faint crackle and smelled a hint of ozone.

"So he's already using his shock tags, hmm." Kakashi started to move forward when he felt the first warning signs of a genjutsu. "Sakura," he thought. He quickly dispelled the illusion before it could take hold but had to dodge a series of fireballs courtesy of Sasuke's Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique. In the midst of the barrage, Kakashi lost track of Naruto until he felt a tug at his belt.

"Damn it, I almost had all three." Kakashi looked over to see Naruto standing holding one of the bells. The boy tossed it to a beaming Sakura who promptly tucked it into her pouch. Sasuke circled back around towards his team but Kakashi could see the smirk still on his face.

They had every right to be proud. The last time none of them had been able to get a bell but this time using teamwork they had actually managed it.

Kakashi tilted his head to the side as he eyed his students. "Don't get cocky. It's not over yet," he replied. Going on the offensive, Kakashi dashed toward the trio, scattering them. Naruto jumped at him with a spinning back kick, which Kakashi blocked. Naruto contorted his body, twisting around to elbow the jounin. Kakashi caught the elbow and swung Naruto around, sending him hurtling into Sasuke who had just finished the hand seals for a Grand Fireball. Both boys went tumbling as Kakashi searched for Sakura. When he saw that she was not in the clearing he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura crawled out of the bushes where she had hidden after the attack. She hated hiding but they had agreed that should they be separated, it was best for her to take cover. Sakura went to check on the two boys as they untangled themselves.

"Where did he go?" Naruto looked around but could not find him.

"Be careful, he could be anywhere," Sasuke replied. They regrouped and started towards the forest. Sasuke had his sharingan active, hoping to pick up some trace of their sensei. As they moved, Naruto looked around and could not shake the feeling that they were being watched. Suddenly his eyes widen and he called out, "Scatter!"

No sooner had he spoken when two hand burst from the ground and grabbed Sakura by the ankles. The girl was yanked down into the ground until only her head was visible. Kakashi erupted from the ground and moved to attack the boys. Naruto pulled out two kunai while Sasuke readied some shuriken. Naruto moved in first, striking out as he tried to circle around the older nin and force him away from his vulnerable teammate. Sasuke launched three shuriken at Kakashi's legs to try to hinder his movements.

Kakashi leaped and kicked out, both dodging the shuriken and nailing Naruto in the gut. The boy rolled to absorb the impact but still had trouble catching his breath. Sasuke went for another Grand Fireball that seemed to engulf the man, but he was quickly put on guard when all he heard was a pop.

Meanwhile, Naruto dug Sakura out of the ground and they joined their other teammate. "He's not messing around this time, is he?" Both boys shook their heads at the girls' question. They looked around and walked on carefully, so as not to be taken by surprise again. As they searched Sakura gave Naruto a looked then asked, "Hey Naruto, how did you know he was underground?"

Naruto halted shortly before he answered. "As part of my training I've been learning to become more in tune with my surroundings. I felt a slight shift in the ground and since we are in the middle of the forest, the only reason for that would be if something or someone were burrowing underneath us. I didn't know it was him for sure but better safe then sorry."

Sasuke would not admit it but he was mildly impressed with his analysis. The genin stopped as they came to a river. Naruto started to speak but was cut off when Sakura held up her hand. "Wait, there is a genjutsu here." Naruto looked at her strangely, but shrugged it off.

Sasuke activated his sharingan and sure enough, where there had appeared to be a river there was instead a large ditch crisscrossed with nets. Had they kept going they would have fallen right in and been trapped.

"Looks like you found my little trap. Not bad." Kakashi leaped out of the tree he was in and went for Sakura. Naruto intercepted him and tried to keep his attention. Sakura hurled kunai at him while Sasuke used the Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique. Naruto almost snatched a bell as the man dodged the barrage.

Similar scenarios played out over the next two hours. The three genin would hunt for their sensei and he would ambush them then escape when they regrouped. They had only been able to get one more bell by the time they finished. The three sat on the ground in the shade of a tree with Sakura healing any injuries they received. Sasuke and Sakura were tired but both were annoyed to see that Naruto appeared fresh and ready to go.

Kakashi was proud of his students and told them as much. "Good job you three. Despite your long separation your teamwork is actually better than before. Sakura good job supporting these two, I know it is hard to play back up but you did well. Sasuke and Naruto I like how you both moved to defend Sakura. As the team medic it is vital that she be protected. If either of you are injured she can heal you but if she is injured who will heal her? Also Naruto great job trying to keep my attention on you while Sasuke use his ninjutsu, although I would switch it up a bit. I know your style is better suited for keeping an opponent of balance but you don't want to get too predictable. Let Sasuke engage a little more often to mix things up. Sasuke good work keeping your team out of your line of fire. Your use of your jutsu was much more tactical than before. You three did better than I expected. Now how about I treat you to lunch?"

Naruto heartily agreed, although he was disappointed that they chose not to get ramen.

* * *

Over the next week, Team 7 followed a similar pattern. They would meet in the morning and spar for an hour. Afterwards, Kakashi would run them through a training scenario. One day it would be to track him down, the next it would be to escape and evade him for an extended amount of time. They practiced moving with an incapacitated member and protecting something while Kakashi tried to steal it. All in all, the jounin was satisfied with their ability.

The following week was devoted to sparring, improving their individual skills and developing team strategies. Sakura focused on combining her genjutsu and developing one of her own. Sasuke worked on increasing the speed of his hand seals and practicing his taijutsu without his sharingan. Naruto worked on his accuracy with throwing weapons and worked on his seals.

Seeing him work on his seals led the other two, mainly Sakura, to ask him about his training. While Naruto refused to give details he did promise to provide his team with storage scrolls and explosive notes should they need them. This gave Sakura an idea for the genjutsu she was working on, though she was unable to complete it by the weeks end.

That Friday after training, Kakashi called his students together and handed each of them an application. "These are applications to the Chuunin exams. I have decided to nominate you three for promotion."

All three looked as if they were excited but Kakashi could tell something was off with Naruto. Kakashi continued, "This will be good experience for you. You will be able to test your skills against the best genin the other villages have to offer."

Sakura looked at the jounin then asked, "So do you really think we can pass or is this just for training?"

Kakashi looked at all three but directed his response to his recently returned pupil. "Don't misunderstand me, this test will be dangerous. It is not uncommon for applicants to loose their lives. But I have faith in each of your skills and I believe that you are more than capable of passing. If I didn't, I would not have nominated you." As he finished he gave Naruto a pointed look.

Naruto gave his teacher a slight smile and look of appreciation. He had received the message. _You can do this, I believe in you._

"That said it is your decision whether or not to compete. Each of you has to choose for yourself. Should you decide to enter the exam, report to room 301 at the academy on Monday before 4pm. Take the weekend off to rest and make your decision."

The three watched as he shunshined away. Each of the genin was engrossed in their own thoughts.

"Finally a real test. Now I can see how far I have come and how far I have to go before I can avenge mother, father and the rest of the clan. You will pay Itachi, just wait."

"This is my chance. I can prove I am not weak. I can prove that I can be a true kunoichi and maybe Sasuke-kun will see that I am worthy. And maybe now I can protect my team instead of sitting on the sidelines and watching their backs. Sasuke-kun, Naruto you can count on me."

"Get it together baka. This is what you have been training for. Kakashi-sensei, jiji, Akisame-sensei, they all believe in me. I will not let them down. I will not fail. I am Uzumaki Naruto, Future Hokage of Konoha. Watch me; I am going to rock this exam. Believe it!"

The three genin looked at each other and nodded. They had made up their minds and each could see the others resolve. When Monday came, they knew that they would not be alone because they were a team and together nothing could stop them.

* * *

The three genin packed up to return home. Naruto watched from the side as Sakura went shyly over to Sasuke.

"Hey Sasuke-kun, since we have some free time, would you like to go out with me?" Sakura waited hopefully for his reply.

Sasuke gave the girl a beleaguered look. "No. Why don't you concentrate on improving instead of asking me out? I had thought you had given up since you haven't asked me out in a while, but I see I was mistaken. We all have more important things to focus on." Having said that, the sullen Uchiha took his leave.

When Naruto saw the crestfallen look on Sakura's face, his first instinct was to rail at the boy for being such an ass. However, Naruto had not forgotten his lessons. Instead, he approached his teammate to offer his support. "Hey Sakura-chan, why don't you let me take you to dinner?" Naruto quickly clarified when he saw the all too familiar look of aggravation cloud the girls features. "I'm not asking for a date. It's just… we haven't had a chance to hang out and catch up since I rejoined the team. Besides we should celebrate being nominated for the chuunin exams." Naruto scratched thee back of his head nervously. While he was not lying exactly, he figured that Sakura would not accept if she thought he was asking out of pity.

For her part, Sakura saw through his bit of deception but she appreciated the effort. Sakura had done some soul searching while the blond had been away and she realized that she had not always treated him very well. This was particularly true when he would ask her out. It was also mildly startling for her when it occurred to her that he had not asked her out since he returned. So, for once, she acquiesced. "Sure Naruto, I would like that. But I get to choose and no ramen."

Naruto laughed. "Actually I thought I could cook something. I still love ramen but it was pointed out to me that a growing ninja needs a more diverse diet." Seeing the skeptical look on her face he continued, "Just trust me. One of the things I learned while I was out was how to cook. Besides you'll be there to supervise right?"

Sakura sighed in mock exasperation and then gave him a grin. "Whatever, but if I end up sick you are going to get it buster." They both laughed and headed to his apartment basking in the warmth of a budding friendship.

* * *

Sakura was surprised at how much she enjoyed her time with Naruto. When he wasn't being a pest he was actually good company. His antics, while toned down from before, were still enough to make her laugh and forget her troubles. He was also a surprisingly good cook.

They spent the evening talking and catching up. She filled him in on what the rest of the team had been up to in his absence. Naruto particularly got a kick from hearing about Sasuke's emotional training from Kakashi. Sakura even took some slight pleasure from making fun of the boy who had spurned her. The one thing that frustrated Sakura was Naruto's refusal to talk about his training. He never outright refused to answer but his responses were vague and he always managed to change the subject. The only thing she really learned was that he had studied the basics he missed in the academy and that he had learned a new taijutsu style. Overall, she enjoyed herself and by the end of the night, they found themselves closer than they had ever been.

The three genin all passed the weekend in their own way. Sasuke kept to himself of course. He spent his time prepping for the exam and doing some light training. Sakura split her time between hanging with Naruto, spending time with her mother, and preparing for the exam. Naruto and her had talked it over and decided to hide his return to active duty until the last minute. After hunting down Kakashi, they had managed to get him to agree to keep it a secret. They didn't bother with Sasuke since he didn't socialize anyway. Naruto, when not hanging with Sakura, spent time playing with Konohamaru and his friends. He had to be careful to avoid his former classmates however, since he and Sakura almost ran into Team 8 while looking for Kakashi. Naruto was not positive but he could have sworn he had seen Hyuuga Hinata several times after that.

* * *

Finally, Monday came and the genin of Team 7 met outside of the academy. They entered the building and proceeded to room 301. They arrived to find a small crowd of genin watching a confrontation outside of the room. Two teens were blocking the door while an oddly dressed genin, who reminded Naruto of that weird jounin Gai, tried to get past them. It was then that Naruto looked at the room number.

"Hey guys this is the wrong floor," he whispered.

"So even the dobe realized it was a genjutsu. I was sure Sakura would see through it but you surprised me."

Naruto looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean genjutsu? I just looked at the room number."

Now it was their turn to look at him confused. Sakura replied, "Naruto there is a genjutsu on the area. It makes this seem like the third floor and the room is numbered 301. What do you see?"

Now Naruto was really puzzled. "The room is labeled 201. How could anybody fall for that? We are only on the second floor."

Sasuke decided they had wasted enough time. "Whatever, we can figure this out later. Let's just go."

Their departure went unnoticed except for five individuals. The two supposed genin watched them with knowing grins. Each of their thoughts following a similar train. _This is going to get interesting_. The genin who had been trying to get into the room watched them from the corner of his eye. His two teammates also noted their departure with some interest. The oddly dressed genin moved to follow them when he was stopped by his male team member.

"I thought we were not going to call attention to ourselves?"

The other nin responded, "This is something I need to do." So saying he turned to leave only to be followed by his team.

Team 7 had just started up the stairs to the third floor when they heard someone call out to them. They looked up to see the funny looking kid from before with two others they assumed to be his team.

The strange genin addressed them with a look of resolution. "You with the dark eyes, will you fight me?"

It was Sakura who inquired, "Who are you?"

The boy looked at Sakura and his face instantly brightened. He leaped from the landing and stood before her. "My name, my beautiful cherry blossom, is Rock Lee. After I finish this let's go out together. I would give my life to protect you."

Sakura tried her best to suppress the look of horror that threatened to break out. She was trying to become a more tolerant person but this was ridiculous. "Ah… No thank you. You are not my type."

Lee hung his head in disappointment but quickly recovered with a serious look. He turned to address Sasuke, "I hear you are a genius from a prestigious clan. I wish to test my techniques against you and prove myself to Gai-sensei."

Naruto looked on as he seethed internally. While he had gained a certain amount of maturity and calm, he was still the same Naruto. It aggravated him to no end that no matter how far he had come it was always Sasuke. It was Sasuke who had Sakura's affections, it was Sasuke who was appreciated by the villagers, and now this Lee guy wanted to fight Sasuke and was totally ignoring him. This was truly a test of the boy's patience. Naruto poured his focus into the calming techniques he had learned and finally reigned in his emotions. He schooled his face into a neutral mask but could not stop a hint of annoyance from entering his voice as he interrupted, "Sorry to interrupt but we have an exam to take, or had you forgotten?"

Lee blinked as he considered the boy. When he recognized him, his face brightened and he bowed enthusiastically. "You are Uzumaki Naruto, yes?" Naruto nodded confusedly. "Gai-sensei told me about you. He says your flames of youth burn brightly. I wish to test myself against you as well."

Naruto felt a slight surge of pride. Finally, someone else acknowledged his efforts. Once again, he curbed his enthusiasm. "That's cool and all but we really have to get to the exam. Can't we do this later?"

Sasuke was annoyed that the weird kid seemed to have forgotten about him to talk to Naruto. "Whatever dobe, if you are too afraid to face him then I will. If this fool wants to challenge me knowing the Uchiha name, then he will learn what that means."

Naruto shook his head and walked to the side. "If you two want to go at it, then fine but I'm staying out of it. I only want to focus on the exam. We could do this later." He hoped that this was not a sign that Sasuke was backsliding.

Sakura, much to the Uchiha's surprise, agreed with the blond. "Naruto is right. We only have thirty minutes until the meeting."

Sasuke smirked as he launched himself at Lee. "Then I'll be done in five."

Lee waited calmly as Sasuke approached. His timing was perfect as he leaped over Sasuke's kick and executed the Leaf Whirlwind. Sasuke was unable to dodge the kick from above so blocked instead. He was startled to see a second kick that caught him completely open and knocked him flying.

Sasuke picked himself up and wondered what the hell just happened. "He slipped right through my guard. Was it some kind of ninjutsu or genjutsu?" Sasuke refused to go down that easily. "Fine that means I get to use this." So saying he activated his sharingan.

Naruto was paying close attention to this fight. After all, they had no idea what the chuunin exams entailed so, like Akisame-sensei always said, it was best to gain every advantage possible. Part of that was to know your competition. Sakura on the other hand was not so calm. While she had reigned in her feelings for the Uchiha, they were still present. To see her crush be knocked down so easily bothered her but once he activated his bloodline she had faith that he would prevail.

Sasuke once again rushed the green clad genin only to be sent into the air by a devastating kick. Rock Lee slipped beneath the flying Uchiha in preparation for the finishing move. He decided to educate the boy and so explained, "You might not believe me but my techniques are simply taijutsu. I know the sharingan reveals all nin, gen, and taijutsu. Because you can read ninjutsu and genjutsu, you gain an advantage, however taijutsu is different. Even if your eyes can read my movements, your body does not have the speed to react in time. Basically even if your eyes can see it if your body can't move, then it is useless." Sasuke started at this revelation, but Lee was not finished. "There are two types of strong people in this world, genius types like you and those like Naruto-kun and me who are hard workers. With this technique I will prove that hard work surpasses genius."

While he made his speech, Lee unraveled the bandages around his hands, but before he could put them to use, a pinwheel flew seemingly from nowhere to pin them to the floor.

"That is enough Lee!" Everyone there was taken aback at the appearance of a large turtle wearing a Konoha forehead protector around its neck. When the bandages pulled tight, Lee used the resistance to pull himself into a spinning flip that ended with him on his feet. Everyone could see the look of surprised guilt etched on his features. Sasuke continued to hurtle towards the wall but was intercepted by Sakura while Naruto took up a guard position.

The turtle glared at Lee. "Lee, you know that technique is forbidden!"

Lee bowed his head. "I'm sorry! I wasn't planning on doing it."

Naruto and Sakura had gotten Sasuke righted and were watching the spectacle. Naruto leaned over and whispered to Sakura, "I'm not seeing things am I? That is a turtle?" Sakura merely nodded, engrossed in the scene before her.

Meanwhile the turtle had finished berating the boy. "Are you prepared to pay?" When Lee nodded, there was a burst of smoke from which a voice shouted, "Here comes Gai-sensei!"

Naruto shook his head in amusement at Sasuke and Sakura, both of whom were staring at Gai in abject horror. Naruto chuckled and called out, "Hey Gai-san."

Gai turned and gave his patented good guy pose. "Yosh! Naruto-kun, it is good to see you here. I knew your flames of youth would return you to active duty. So Kakashi has recognized your burning passion and entered you into the exams."

Naruto, in a rare moment, backslid into his prankster ways. Recalling something Kakashi had mentioned about Gai, he schooled his face into a mask of indifference and gave the jounin a sideways glance. "Hmm, you say something?"

Gai looked at him in shock before shaking his fist at the sky. "Curse you Kakashi. You have passed on your cool, hip attitude to your student." Naruto burst into laughter while his team stood confused. Neji and Tenten, having seen Gai rant about his eternal rival, were simply annoyed.

Gai broke off from his rant and turned to his protégé. Without warning, he lashed out, punching the boy in the face and knocking him to the ground. "You fool! What have I told you about using those techniques?"

Lee looked heartbroken that he might have disappointed his mentor. "Gai-sensei, I…I…"

Gai knelt before his student, "its ok Lee. You don't have to say it." Before the genin of Team 7 could look away, they were introduced to one of the most nightmarish sights in Konoha. Rock Lee and Maito Gai, the beautiful green beasts of Konoha, embraced.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Yes Lee, this is what youth is all about. It's all right Lee. Youth and mistakes go together, but you did start a fight and almost broke my rules. Your punishment after the exam will be to run around the practice field five hundred times."

Lee sprang to attention. "Yes!"

Gai turned to Team 7. "Hey you guys, how is Kakashi doing?"

Sakura responded, having shaken off any lingering effects of being exposed to that much youth. "Ano, he is fine, but how do you know sensei?"

Gai smirked while stroking his chin. "How do I know him?" Gai seemed to disappear before anyone could react. Team 7 scattered and turned to find Gai standing behind them. "Why, he is my eternal rival of course. Fifty wins to forty-nine loses makes me stronger than Kakashi."

Lee voiced his opinion. "Gai-sensei is incredible!"

Sasuke did not want to admit it but he had to agree. "I didn't even see him move. His speed is greater than Kakashi," he thought.

Gai addressed Sasuke directly. "Sorry about Lee. I swear it won't happen again. You guys should hurry over to the classroom." Gai flicked a kunai out and knocked the pinwheel holding down Lee's bandages. In doing so. Naruto's attention was called to the condition of the boys hands.

Lee walked over to the trio as they prepared to leave. The young green clad boy bowed to Sasuke and spoke. "Sasuke-kun I will say one more thing. I challenged you to test my abilities. You were the rookie of the year for your class but the strongest leaf genin is on my team. I have entered this exam to defeat him. You are also on my list." Lee focused on Naruto. "Be prepared during the exam. I wish to test myself against you as well Naruto-kun." Lee leaped up to join his team on the stairwell landing and they all left.

Naruto motioned to his team and they turned to leave. As they walked up to the third floor Naruto leaned over and whispered, "You noticed his hands too, right Sasuke? He kicked your ass because he must have trained really hard every day. Even more than you."

Sakura was taken aback by Naruto's perceptivity. She had to constantly remind herself not to underestimate her teammate, no, friend. While his personality was mostly the same, he now displayed a seriousness and competence whenever the situation called for it. She looked up to find Naruto smiling at Sasuke, and for once Sasuke was openly smiling back.

The normally taciturn youth gave a feral grin. "This thing is starting to look like fun. Ready to go Naruto, Sakura?"

The two returned his grin. "Hell yeah!" With that, they walked onto the third floor, ready for whatever was thrown their way.

* * *

**A/N: **Again, I apologize for the delay. It has been hectic this last month. I live in New Orleans so between the Saints winning the Superbowl, Mardi Gras, a death in the family, and that damn virus, I haven't had the time or inclination to write as much as normal. This is also why this chapter is shorter than normal. I wanted to get something out before you all lost interest. Anyway now we get to the exams. Some things will be the same as canon but I believe that I have changed enough to keep thing interesting. I hope you enjoy what I have planned. You also get to see everyone's reaction to Naruto's return. Tell me what you guys think of the story so far. Where can I improve? What am I doing right? Well bye for now, I'll see you next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Hey everybody, nothing much to report. I hope you all have enjoyed the story so far. Now we enter the chuunin exams and things will start to deviate from canon a little bit more. Now don't expect massive changes but there will be some alterations. I'm happy to report that I've got one hundred reviews and over 20,000 hits. Thanks for the confidence boost you guys. I'll try not to let you down.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 6

Kakashi watched as his genin exited the stairwell. He had monitored the altercation but chose to let them resolve it. At the very least, Sasuke had learned a lesson about underestimating his opponent and overestimating his own skills. Naruto continued to surprise him. He had half expected the energetic youth to blurt out his frustration. Before the accident, Naruto had continually compared himself to Sasuke and Kakashi knew that it irked him to no end to fall short. This was just one more sign that things had changed with his team. Hopefully the changes would all be for the better.

Kakashi smiled when the three had made their way to the door. "I'm glad to see all three of you decided to come. If any of you had declined then none of you would be able to take this exam. It has to be taken as a team."

The genin's eyes grew wide. Sakura was the one to respond. "Why didn't you tell us that before sensei?"

Kakashi grew serious and looked them each in the eye. "I did not want you to pressure each other into this. While I have faith in each of you, this was a decision you had to make for yourselves. Going into this with any doubts would only weaken your resolve and that could lead to failure." Kakashi smiled, breaking the somber mood. "But I knew you would come. You three have the potential to become truly great shinobi," Kakashi paused and polished his nails on his vest, "I am your sensei after all."

Naruto snickered while Sakura rolled her eyes and Sasuke just gave a snort. Kakashi blinked then rubbed the back of his head, amused by his cute little genin. Looking at them once more, he had to correct himself. "They are not so little anymore," he thought. "They are growing up."

Naruto, always the optimist, gave the jounin a big grin. "Hah, don't worry about us sensei. I plan to be the greatest Hokage ever, Sakura-chan is awesome, and the teme isn't bad either. We'll pass with no problem." Sakura reddened at his statement while Sasuke just muttered "Whatever dobe." Kakashi chuckled and wished them luck before he shunshined out.

Team 7 entered the exam room and scoped out the competition. There were teams from several villages. Ame, Kusa, and Suna had all sent teams, just to name a few. There was even ninja from a village who's symbol Naruto did not recognize. Of course this being Konoha, the room was dominated by leaf nin. Team 7 wandered through the room until they heard an excited squeal.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke shuddered as he felt a pair of arms encircle his neck from behind. "I've missed you. I hoped you would be here but I didn't know if you had found a new team member," Ino shrieked.

Sakura glared at the girl and pried her off the suffering Uchiha as the rest of Team 10 ambled over. "Ino-pig, do you mind letting go of my teammate. We don't know where you've been."

"Can it Forehead! I'm surprised Sasuke-kun is still hanging around with you. I am sure he would be much better off on my team than with you and whoever else they dug up," Ino retorted. So who is your new teammate any way?"

Ino turned at the sound of a cleared throat. The Yamanaka's attention was drawn to the guy behind her. Ino stared into the most beautiful bright violet eyes she had ever seen. Her eyes moved up to the sunny blond hair then down to the rugged whisker-like marks on the cheeks … wait a minute. Ino gasped, "N-Naruto, is that you?"

This drew the attention of her male compatriots. Upon seeing who stood before them and the changes to him, Choji paused in mid bite and even the legendary apathy of Shikamaru was broken. Team 10 stared at the boy noting the differences between the Naruto they remembered and the one who now stood before them. The most obvious difference was his height. Where once Naruto was the shortest boy in their class, he now stood at an even height with Sasuke. The horrible orange jumpsuit was gone and he now sported black pants, a dark orange vest and black fingerless gloves with metal backing. Ino blushed slightly as she gazed at the tanned and, if his arms were any indication, toned boy in front of her.

Naruto watched the reactions of his former classmates with amusement. Deciding to have a little fun, in his most nonchalant tone he said, "Hey guys, what's new?"

This shook the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio out of their stupor. Shikamaru just shrugged as if he didn't care. Choji smiled and welcomed him back and of course Ino launched into a full on interrogation. As Naruto began his explanation, Team 8 walked up, led by the boisterous Inuzuka Kiba.

"Akamaru said he smelled you but I thought he made a mistake. I should have known better than to doubt Akamaru's nose." Akamaru barked his agreement. Having noted the changes Naruto had undergone, Kiba continued, "When did you get back man? And what happened to you? We all visited you but you were unconscious and they wouldn't say what happened. Then we heard a rumor that you couldn't use jutsu anymore and you got retired."

Once again, Naruto gave the abridged version of his accident that he had previously given to his team. His six former classmates all gave him varying looks of sympathy and expressed their happiness at seeing him recovered and back on active duty. Hinata in particular could not help but sneak glances full of wonder and admiration at him from behind her two teammates. Naruto never failed to inspire the shy Hyuuga with his determination.

Shikamaru traded glances with Shino after the boy had finished his tale. Neither had said anything but both had detected that something was off about his story. Shino sent one of his kikaichu to investigate. When it returned all it could tell him was that Naruto's chakra appeared abnormal.

Shino's attention was drawn back to the conversation as Kiba finished speaking. "That's a tough break about you not being able to use jutsu or anything, man. But at least they let you back on active duty right?"

Naruto smiled, "Yeah. Besides, I'll show everyone just how awesome I can be without jutsu."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Whatever Naruto. No one is as awesome as Sasuke-kun." Ino pressed closer to the long suffering Uchiha.

Sakura glared at her rival. As much as she had changed over the last few weeks, Ino just seemed to bring out the worst in her. "I told you before, back off my teammate Piggy," she shouted.

"Stuff it, Billboard Brow! You're just mad because even though he is on your team you still can't get anywhere with Sasuke-kun." While the two argued, a young man with glasses and silver hair was drawn by the commotion.

"Um, excuse me but you are all rookies just out of the academy, right? You might want to keep it down," said the teen.

Kiba eyed the older boy and responded, "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Kabuto. More importantly, you might want to look behind you." The group turned to see most of the assembled genin glowering at them. "Everyone is a bit nervous about the exam so you may want to quiet down. I do not blame you because you are rookie and you don't know any better. I guess you remind me of me of how I was my first time."

"So you have taken the exam before?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, this is my seventh time. Since the exams are held twice a year, I have collected a good bit of information and stored them on these." Kabuto pulled out a deck of cards and fanned them out in front of the rookies.

"Hey, there's nothing on them," Ino stated.

"That is because the information is burned on the cards with chakra. You can't see it unless I use my chakra to make it visible. Like so." As he spoke, he channeled chakra into the cards and writing and diagrams appeared. "I have information about the various ninja taking the exam and their records."

Sasuke perked up at this admission. "Can you tell us about a particular individual?" he asked.

Kabuto smiled. "Is there some one you are worried about? Just tell me about them and I'll take a look."

"Rock Lee of Konoha," Sasuke replied.

"Oh, you know his name. That makes it easy. Let's see, Rock Lee. He is a year older than you are and has completed 20 D-ranked and 12 C-ranked missions. His sensei is Maito Gai. His taijutsu is extremely high but he has no ninjutsu or genjutsu. This is his first time here. His teammates are Hyuuga Neji and Tenten." The genin were all impressed with the amount of info the teen possessed.

"What about his team," asked Naruto. "Can you tell us about them?"

Kabuto flipped through his cards until he found the right ones. He looked at the rookies and responded, "Of course. Hyuuga Neji, he is also a year older than you. Like Lee, his taijutsu is high, as expected of a member of the Hyuuga clan. He is considered a prodigy and was rookie of the year for his graduating class. He possesses the byakugan, a bloodline limit doujutsu that allows the user to see in 360 degrees. It also allows them to see an opponent's chakra network and combined with the Juuken, the Hyuuga taijutsu style, it enables them to seal an opponents chakra points. His genjutsu is low but with his doujutsu, he can see them easily. His ninjutsu appears to be limited to the academy standard."

Kabuto switched cards and continued. "Tenten has the same as record as Lee and Neji. Her taijutsu is above average, her genjutsu is limited to the academy standard and her ninjutsu is better than both of her teammate's. Tenten is apparently an aspiring weapons master. Her accuracy with throwing weapons is near perfect and she possesses skill with several hand weapons."

Kabuto looked at the apprehensive expressions on several of their faces. "So you understand now. Konoha, Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki, and even Oto, all these villages have sent their best to compete in these exams. Well Oto is relatively new and a minor village at best, so there is not much info about them yet."

"So are all of them going to be that good?" Sakura asked.

Yes. They are the top genin from their respective countries and are all talented youngsters. No village would send any less."

Hinata spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, "It is enough to make you want to quit right now."

Naruto looked at the shy girl. He had noticed that throughout the conversation she had been sneaking covert glances his way. He still could not figure out what they meant but he figured he would give her a break. She looked so unsure of herself. "This isn't going to be easy, but I for one am not giving up. I have come too far and been through too much to back out now," he said in a quiet voice. "I'm going to give it my all or what was the point of all my training? Uzumaki Naruto never quits, you can believe that."

Hinata looked at the boy with admiration that bordered on awe. Kiba smiled enthusiastically while Shino gave him a speculative look. Ino groaned and Choji straightened. Shikamaru just gave him an appraising glance. Sakura smiled and Sasuke smirked.

Shino spoke, to everyone's surprise. "Naruto is correct. How do I know this? Because it would be pointless and illogical to quit now after coming this far ." Having said this he looked to Hinata, silently acknowledging that he had noticed her uncertainty.

"Na-Naruto-kun is right. We have to believe in ourselves," Hinata said.

"Hn. Quit making speeches dobe. No one here is giving up and we all know how tough you are. Or maybe stubborn is a better word," Sasuke interjected. Everyone was shocked to see the ghost of a smile on his face. Sasuke never smiled.

"Yeah man, anybody who can take a lightning jutsu to the gut and walk away is pretty badass," was Kiba's boisterous reply. "Not as badass as me but still."

Kabuto stood up. "What a spirited group you are. I hope to see you in the finals." At that moment, one of the assembled genin rushed Kabuto and threw a punch aimed at his head. Kabuto sidestepped the attack and dropped into a defensive stance only to fall to one knee as his glasses cracked and he began to throw up.

The Rookie 9 watched in confusion as Kabuto clutched his stomach and gasped for breath. They could have sworn he had dodged the attack.

The attacking genin turned and addressed the room, his attack having called the attention of the room full of genin. Everyone looked on as the bandaged boy spoke. "Don't look down on Otogakure or its ninja, it might get you killed. We can be quite vicious," said the youth. His two team members flanked him, radiating arrogance and superiority.

Sakura checked on Kabuto while Naruto and Sasuke slipped into defensive stances. The rest of the Rookie 9 could only wonder at how smoothly and easily they moved together.

Meanwhile the other male Oto-nin continued as he sneered at them, "Write this down on your cards. The Hidden Sound ninjas are definitely future chuunin."

Just then, a cloud of smoke burst forth at the front of the room and a deep voice bellowed, "All right quiet down you worthless bastards." When the smoke cleared, a group of uniformed shinobi stood before them, headed by a large scar-faced man in a black trench coat.

"I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the chuunin exams first test. Thanks for waiting. As for you," he said pointing at the Oto-nin, "You Hidden Sound guys stop doing as you please before the exam."

The bandaged-faced nin replied, "I apologize. This is our first time and we got a bit carried away." His team leered at the rest of the genin

"Whatever," Ibiki retorted. "I will say this once. There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Ibiki leveled a stony gaze at the aspiring chuunin. "Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?" He watched as they all nodded their agreement. "Now since some of you bastards can't play nice I won't let you sit where you please. Each of you will come up and receive a numbered tag that corresponds to the seat assigned to you. This is not negotiable so I don't want to hear any whining. After you are all seated we will hand out the exams."

The proctors for the exam passed out the test once everyone was seated. Ibiki stood at the blackboard and monitored the process. He addressed the seated genin while his people worked. "Do not turn over your test. I have some important rules for this exam. I will write them on the board as I explain so listen up. Questions will not be allowed so shut up and pay attention." He surveyed the room for any signs of dissent. When he was sure he had their complete attention, he continued. "The first rule is that you will all start the test with ten points. The test is made up of ten questions each worth one point. That means for every one you miss a point will be deducted. The second rule is that this is a team test. You will pass or fail based on the performance of your team as a whole. This means the maximum score is thirty points," Ibiki smiled cruelly, "try to hold on to as many as possible."

Ibiki watched as a few of the genin looked around nervously. No doubt, they were seeking out their teammates, hoping that they could achieve a passing score. Ibiki resumed his explanation, "The third rule is that anyone caught doing anything sneaky, like cheating, will lose two points off their final score for every offense. That means if you are caught five times you automatically fail." Ibiki let loose a sinister chuckle. "We will be watching you. Realize now that the pathetic excuse for shinobi that are caught cheating will be destroying themselves and disgracing their village. As shinobi aspiring to be chuunin, be proud ninja."

The exam instructor noted that many of the genin appeared far less confident. "Just as I planned," he thought. "Now to drive in the final nail." Glaring at the chuunin wannabes as if daring them to interrupt, Ibiki spoke once again, "Now for the final rule. Those that lose all of their points or manage not to answer any questions correctly will fail … as will their two teammates."

There were several cries of "What?!" and "No fair!"

Ibiki waited for a few seconds then bellowed, "Shut up! Now the test will last one hour. Begin now!"

* * *

Naruto could not believe his rotten luck. Of all the possible ways he could have been tested, it had to be his biggest weakness. Granted he was much better thanks to Iruka's private instruction, but you do not go from the being a class clown and dead last to an A student in a few weeks. As much information as Naruto had absorbed, he also realized just how much he still had to learn.

Naruto flipped over his test and nearly had a massive coronary. None of this stuff was in any of Iruka's lessons. How the hell was he supposed to plot the trajectory of a shuriken thrown north against a 12 mile per hour southwesterly wind? And what the hell? If a Shinobi leaves Suna at 11:45 and traveled at 15 mph headed towards Kumo … did they really expect him to know this stuff?

Naruto took several calming breaths and did as Iruka taught him. Naruto slowly and methodically went over the rules once again, alert for any tricks. "It's like Kakashi-sensei said, 'A ninja must look underneath the underneath. A shinobi's life is deception.' Take it slow and pay attention," he thought.

"Alright, first each question is worth one point. If I answer a question wrong then I loose a point. That's straightforward enough. Next, this is a team effort. We will be graded as a team, so even if I get some wrong, as long as Sasuke and Sakura-chan get theirs right we won't fail," Naruto thought. "But I don't want to be a burden on them. If I can't pull my own weight then what was the point of coming back to the team?" Naruto's face scrunched in concentration. "Ok moving on, rule three is every time you get caught cheating you lose two points. Hmm, that's weird. Iruka-sensei always failed anyone who was caught cheating. It's like… they want us… to cheat." Naruto broke out of his silent contemplation as he had an epiphany.

Naruto's mind raced as he covertly studied the room. The proctors for the exam lined three sides of the room while the scar-faced harass stood at the front. As he watched, several proctors started to call out numbers.

"Number 27."

"Number 113."

"Number 53."

Naruto watched was sure he had reached the right conclusion. This test was not about how well you knew the information but if you could get it without getting caught. The trick was how could he do it. Naruto tuned out the cries of those who failed and did a mental inventory of his skills and tools. After a few moments, a wide grin broke out on his face. All those who had know the young nin for any length of time would have recognized that grin. It usually preceded a public disturbance and embarrassment for some unfortunate soul.

"Number 18, you fail. You and numbers 63 and 97 leave the examination room," Called out one chuunin with bandages across his nose and wild spiky hair.

Naruto extended his senses and increased his situational awareness as Akisame had taught him. He deftly dipped his hand into his equipment pouch and palmed three smoke bombs as soon as the coast was clear. The former prankster waited for the perfect moment and quick as lightning flicked the bombs a few seats down while no one was looking. The bombs released a thick cloud of smoke that covered the area. There were shouts of confusion from the genin and calls for order from the proctors.

As soon as he was covered, Naruto went to work. He grabbed his paper and slipped around the surrounding genin like an eel through coral. Naruto headed right for his target, a genin a row in front and two seats down from him who he noticed had finished already. In the confusion, Naruto quickly smacked the unsuspecting genin on side of his head and when he turned to retaliate, came from the other side and swapped their two papers. He swapped the papers of four other genin on the way back to his seat just to throw off suspicion. Naruto made it back with just enough time to substitute his name for that of his unlucky target.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto was surprised to see that a few others had taken advantage of the opportunity he provided. Along with the five test he had swapped four others complained their test had been stolen, although not all of the culprits had gotten away cleanly. Two genin were caught going back to their seats, one of which was promptly ejected along with his team.

Naruto looked at the clock and saw that there was less than half an hour left. Just to be on the safe side he decided to go over the test answers. They seemed to be legit but he couldn't know for sure. When he got to the tenth question he found that the final question would be given forty-five minutes after the test had started. Naruto settled in, confident that even if he missed the final question, he and his team would succeed.

* * *

Hinata watched Naruto from the corner of her eye. She was ecstatic when she found herself seated next to the young nin. Naruto had been a source of strength for the shy Hyuuga for years now. It was a shame that she could never bring herself to tell him her feelings.

Whenever she found herself near the blond, she became tongue-tied, her heart raced, and she felt light-headed. Of course, this further reinforced the notion that her father and the rest of the clan were right and she really was weak. Hinata had always been a shy girl but the death of her mother and her attempted kidnapping had robbed her of nearly all her courage and self-confidence. Her father's continued obvious disappointment in her only served to further diminish what little remained.

There was one saving grace for little Hyuuga Hinata and that was Uzumaki Naruto. While the boy was not the best student and his skills found much to be desired, Naruto possessed a determination and a confidence in himself that she could only dream of having. No matter how many times he failed, he would just pick himself back up and loudly declare that he would definitely win next time. His most recent situation was a prime, albeit extreme, example.

So when Hinata saw the signs that Naruto was nervous, she only hesitated for a second before she resolved to help the object of her admiration. Just when she was about to slide her paper his way, she saw a flash of understanding followed by that impudent grin that never failed to make her heart race.

"Naruto-kun … you can do it," she thought. Hinata watched discretely as Naruto put his plan into action and she could barely contain her pride and relief when he managed to get away cleanly. Hinata turned back to her own completed test and reaffirmed her commitment to succeed and to show her team, her father, and especially Naruto that she was a strong, capable kunoichi.

* * *

Ibiki watched the Kyuubi container as he sat patiently waiting for the final question. Ibiki had not expected the kid to be here as everyone had heard the kid suffered some sort of accident in the field. Sure enough, when he checked, Uzumaki Naruto had been cleared for active duty.

Ibiki had paid close attention to the boy not because he was trying to fail him, at least no more than the rest, but because his behavior had apparently changed. From everything he had heard and seen, the kid was a loudmouth fool who only rarely showed signs of any potential. Ibiki had expected him to flip when he found out the test was a written exam. It was common knowledge that the boy had almost not graduated after all. But no, as Ibiki watched, he kept his cool and worked things out.

Apparently Anko was right about the kid. Ibiki was never one to form opinions without ample information, so up until now he had been on the fence about the boy. While he did not see Uzumaki as the kyuubi like some of the rest of those idiots, neither had he seen any signs of true potential. That is, until the academy reject manage to infiltrate the Hokage tower, incapacitate the Sandaime, steal the forbidden scroll, and manage to learn a technique that only the most elite jounin were allowed to even attempt. So even after an accident had apparently robbed Uzumaki of the ability to use jutsu, when Anko said that the brat had promise, Ibiki listened.

Ibiki looked at the clock. It was time. Now to see just how far his perseverance would carry him. "Uzumaki Naruto, do you have the testicular fortitude to continue and risk it all or are the fools of this village right about you?" Ibiki wondered.

* * *

"Alright, it is time for the final question," said the scarred instructor. "But before we continue, I would like to go over the additional rules for the final question." Ibiki paused as the remaining genin murmured to themselves, their confusion readily apparent. "I will now explain the rules of desperation. First, for the tenth question you must decide whether you will take it or not."

Naruto watched as a blonde girl from Suna wearing her hair in four pigtails hollered, "What? What happens if we choose not to take it?"

Ibiki glared at the assembled genin, his cruel features appearing to be etched in stone. "If you choose not to, " he said, "your points will be reduced to zero and you will fail… as will your two team members." Once again there were cries of outrage from the stressed out genin. Ibiki smiled to himself. Now to separate the diamonds from the coal. "If you choose to take it and answer incorrectly… then you will forfeit the right to ever take the chuunin selection exams again."

There was a moment of silence before Inuzuka Kiba erupted. "Oi, what kind of stupid rule is that?" he shouted. "There are guys here who have taken the exam before. What about that?"

Ibiki let out a laugh that chilled many of the genin to the core. "Well then it's just your bad luck that this year I was picked to run things. That means my word is law. But I am not unreasonable so I am giving you a way out." The genin waited, hoping to hear something good from the sadistic instructor. "Those of you that lack the confidence can quit and your team can try again next year."

Ibiki smiled menacingly as he watched them squirm. "Now. Let's begin the tenth question. Those of you who do not wish to take it, raise your hand and when your number is confirmed you and your team may leave."

* * *

Less than a minute had passed and already several genin had given up. Naruto was at a crossroads. On one hand, if he quit then they could always try again. On the other hand, if he continued and failed, Sakura and Sasuke would be free to try again but he would be stuck as a perpetual genin.

Naruto turned around, searching for his teammates. His eyes alighted on Sakura who was staring at him with a meaningful expression. In that instant, he made his decision. Naruto smiled at Sakura, answering her silent question in the process. He would go for it. Not once had he ever backed down and he would be damned if he started now. Not after everything he had gone through.

Naruto turned back in his seat. As he turned to look forward he happened to glimpse a look of uncertainty of the face of Hinata. Naruto frowned slightly. Naruto had always remembered her as the quiet, dark, weird girl. She never stood out, preferring the stay in the background. If anyone knew what it was like to be on the outside looking in, it was Naruto. So acting on impulse, he did something that very few people had ever done for him.

Naruto reached his hand over and grasped the hand of the quiet girl. Hinata started slightly at the unexpected contact. When she saw just who it was who held her hand her face turned a deep crimson. She looked into his now violet eyes and saw acceptance and approval aimed at her. Hinata could not believe it. Naruto, the boy she had admired from the shadows for so long had finally taken notice of her.

All of her fears and self-doubt melted away under his kind gaze. If Naruto could believe in her, how could she not believe in herself? Had she not just vowed to show him and everyone else her true strength? How could she even think of backing out now? The little Hyuuga gave Naruto a smile of acceptance and put on her best mask of calm. If her father could see her now he would be amazed at the change in his eldest daughter.

Naruto nodded at the girls changed demeanor. Some times all it took was the slightest encouragement. Naruto watched as various genin gave up one by one.

When no further genin raised their hands, Ibiki stated, "I'll ask you one last time. Remember your lives are riding on this decision. This is your last chance. Does anyone else wish to quit." No one moved as Ibiki swept his eyes across the room. Ibiki noted that there were only 57 genin and among them was Uzumaki Naruto. "Not bad kid," he thought, "You may have what it takes after all."

"Very well then. For those of you remaining I would like to congratulate you on passing the first test!"

Sakura spoke for all the bewildered genin when she asked, "What do you mean, we pass? What about the tenth question?"

Ibiki smiled a true smile for the first time since they had seen him. "There never was a tenth question or rather the choice you made could be considered the tenth question."

The blonde Suna girl yelled, "Hey! Then what the hell were the first nine questions for? Were they pointless?"

Ibiki became serious once again. "Oh they were far from pointless; they had just served their purpose. The reason for the first nine questions was to test your information gathering skills."

"Huh? Information gathering, what do you mean?" the girl asked.

As Ibiki explained the purpose of the exam, Naruto was celebrating internally. He had done it! He took his time and thought things through like he had been taught and he figured out the meaning behind the rules. He was on his was to being an excellent ninja and eventually the Hokage.

Naruto finished cheering just as Ibiki finished his explanation. "The premise of the test was to cheat yes, but those who cheat poorly fail." Ibiki paused and removed his bandana showing the genin for the first time the hideous scars that adorned his head. "At times information is more important than life and on missions or on the battlefield, people will risk everything to get their hands on it."

The horrible burns, screw holes and scars only served to punctuate the seriousness of the situation to the genin. To Naruto it just illustrated what the Sandaime had been telling him. Being a shinobi was something he had to take seriously if he wanted to survive.

Ibiki continued as he retied his bandana. "If an enemy or a third party notices you then there is no guarantee that the info will be accurate. I want you to remember this. Important information can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and your village. Compromised information can get you killed or worse. That is why we had you gather information through cheating. This weeded out those that did not have the skills or the nerve."

The girl from Suna asked, "But what about the last question?"

"Ah yes," Ibiki replied, "As important as the first nine questions were, question ten was the true point of this exam. Let me explain. The tenth question, whether or not to take the test was made to be a painful choice. Those who chose not to take it failed along with their team but those who took it and fail forever gave up the right to take it again. It was a leap of faith. As chuunin, you will be faced with many difficult missions. You may not have enough intel, there may be traps, and you will face unknown numbers of enemy shinobi. The mission, however, is vital to your village. Now, do you accept or not? Whether it's because you fear death or you fear for the safety of your comrades, do you avoid the mission?"

Ibiki looked each genin in the eye as he spoke. "The answer is no! There are some missions you cannot avoid, no matter how dangerous they may be. To be courageous, to survive any hardship, to step up and serve your village, these are the qualities needed to become a chuunin." Ibiki glared at his captive audience. "Those who refuse to put their destinies on the line and who cling to the uncertain future of 'there is always next year' and then walk away from their chance… well those cowardly pieces of trash don't have the right to become chuunin. Not in my eyes." Ibiki smiled once more. "You, however, chose to take it. I have every expectation that you will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. So again, congratulations, you have made it through the first test of the chuunin selection exam. I wish you all luck."

Ibiki looked to his right as a black bundle smashed through the window. Two hands emerged from the bundle and simultaneously launched two kunai at the ceiling. The bundle unfurled, releasing a whirling figure. The genin looked on in shock as the cloth was revealed to be a sign in front of which stood a figure that Naruto recognized all too well.

"Oh kami, not her," he thought as he slid down into his seat. Both Hinata and the Kusa-nin next to him wondered at his behavior. "Please don't let that psycho see me," Naruto prayed.

At the front of the class, the trench coated figure stood proud. "Hmm, prepare yourselves, for the examiner of the second test is here! Mitarashi Anko. Now lets go." Anko stood with one arm in the air as she watched the genin stare blankly at her.

"She's as bad as Naruto used to be," thought Sakura.

Ibiki peered from behind the sign at the still seated applicants. "Bad timing Anko. You should learn to read the situation better."

Anko snorted indignantly. "Yeah well, whatever. I guess I can't complain you since you only left me with what, 57 of the little shits. Nineteen teams isn't too bad." Anko smirked, "Besides, I'll cut 'em down to less than half that with my test." Anko finally noticed one of the genin attempting to avoid her attention. She smiled wickedly when she recognized who it was. Without warning, Anko seemingly vanished from the front of the room.

Naruto was trying to slip beneath the desk without calling attention to himself. It did not help that the two next to him kept looking his way after he quickly shushed them to stop their questions. Naruto had nearly made it under the desk when he came face to face with a hissing viper. The terrified boy leap up right into the waiting arms of a grinning Anko. "Aww, did little Naru-chan miss his Anko-nee?"

Naruto's eyes widened comically. The pair now had the attention of the entire room. Anko nuzzled the cheek of the trembling nin as the large viper slithered up his leg only to rear back and eye him hungrily.

"Oh look, Shokkushi missed you too. She was a bit upset that you ran away from her last time. She had her little heart set on playing with you."

The genin in the immediate vicinity had all quickly vacated the area at the appearance of the deadly snake. Naruto looked around and saw that help was definitely not on the way and so hoping to survive the encounter, decided to distract the bloodthirsty jounin. "Hey, um Anko-san, shouldn't we be getting to the next test?"

Anko looked at him quizzically before her face brightened up. "Oh yeah," she said. Anko snapped her fingers and dispersed her summons. "I guess you and Shokkushi will just have to play next time." Naruto sighed in relief and dropped to the floor in a boneless heap as Anko released him. Anko turned to see him lying there and her disposition quickly changed. "Well come on gaki, don't just lay there, let's go. That goes for the rest of you, too!"

The genin regrouped with their teams and filed out behind the capricious woman. Hinata looked back hesitantly at Naruto but left when she heard Kiba calling her. Sakura helped Naruto up off the floor.

"So that was…" Sakura began.

"Yeah," Naruto quickly answered.

"She is really…" Sasuke interjected.

"Yeah. At least she didn't throw kunai at me this time." Naruto sighed.

* * *

The genin followed Anko to a large gated off section of forest near the edge of the village. A few of the genin stared apprehensively at the many warning signs posted repeatedly across the chain link fence. Anko turned to address the crowd as the last few stragglers joined them. "Welcome to the stage for the next phase of the exams. This is training ground 44, affectionately known as 'the Forest of Death'. You will soon find just how apt a name it is."

Kiba snorted. Sure, the jounin behavior in the classroom had rattled him, but he was an Inuzuka. He would show this broad that he wasn't afraid. "Yeah right, lady. You may have the rest of these chumps spooked but not me!"

"You're spirited," Anko smiled sweetly.

"You poor dumb bastard," thought Naruto.

Before anyone could react, Anko slipped a kunai from up her sleeve and sent it flying at the brash boy. Kiba found himself embraced from behind with Anko licking the blood running from an inch long cut on his cheek. "Kids like you are killed quickly in here," she said, "spraying that red blood I love so much."

Kiba didn't know whether to be terrified or turned on at this point. Before he could react, Anko whipped around, brandishing another kunai at the Kusa-nin who had crept up behind her.

"Here is your kunai," the nin lisped. Kiba's eyes bulged as he saw the girls tongue extended more than a foot out of her mouth, the kunai wrapped in the pink appendage.

"Why thank you," Anko said cordially. "But you know, it is a bad idea to sneak up behind me. Unless you want to die that is."

"Oh you must forgive me," the Kusa-nin smirked. "I get so excited when I see blood. Plus you cut my precious hair. I just could not help myself."

"Sorry about that," Anko said as she released Kiba. "It seems we have some bloodthirsty ones in this exam. This should be fun," she cackled. Anko reached into her coat and pulled out a stack of papers. "Anyway, I have to pass these out before we start the exam. You must sign these waivers to continue on to the next portion. Some of you are probably going to die and if I don't have you sign these, there going to want to hold me responsible," she said in a deceptively sweet tone.

Anko passed out the forms as she spoke. "Now to explain the second test. When I am done you can fill out the form and each team can check in at the booth behind me." Anko finished passing out the forms and stood in front of one of the gates. "Simply put, this exam is the ultimate survival test. You will be competing in a no holds barred battle for these." Anko held up two scrolls. On one was the symbol for heaven and on the other, the symbol for earth. "Each team will be issued one of these scrolls when you turn in your forms.

There are 57 people here, which means nineteen teams. Of that only nine of them can possibly pass. Your objective is to make it to the tower situated in the center of the area with both scrolls. You have 120 hour, that's five days, to make it to the tower."

"What?" Choji yelled indignantly. "What are we supposed to eat in there?"

Anko shrugged nonchalantly, "Eh, it's a survival test. There is all kinds of food in the forest. Just watch out for the man-eating beast, the poisonous insects, the poisonous plants… Anyway, I doubt if nine teams pass. The forest is a dangerous place and its denizens and your fellow genin will hunt you. You will get more desperate as the days drag on. You will have to be on constant alert so you probably won't sleep much. Some of you will definitely die out there.

That reminds me, I have to tell you what will disqualify you. First, if you don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit. Second, those who lose a teammate or if a teammate is killed. Just so you know, there is no quitting once we start. Its all or nothing kiddies. Finally, you must not open the scrolls until you reach the tower."

"What happens if you do?" asked Naruto.

Anko grinned and replied, "Try it and see gaki."

Naruto shuddered and replied, "No thanks."

"As I was saying, a chuunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test how trustworthy you are." Anko yawned and stretched, almost flashing the crowd in the process. She chuckled, amused at the reactions she garnered. "Well that's it for the explanations. The rest you can figure out yourselves. Trade your three forms for a scroll and head for a gate for when we start." As the genin moved to the booth, Anko called out, "Oh yeah, as a word of final advice… don't die."

A group of chuunin lined up and led the teams off one by one after they had received their scroll. Team 7 was led half way around the training area to their gate. Naruto looked around and when he saw no other genin in sight, he took of his forehead protector and removed his vest.

"Na-Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura could not help but blush. In all the time they had been training, Sakura had never seen Naruto's bare torso. She could barely take her eyes off of him as he turned his vest inside out and put it back on. "There is not an ounce of fat on him," she thought. Her eyes widened in shock at the turn her thoughts had taken. "Oh kami, tell me I'm not ogling Naruto!"

Naruto finished zipping up his vest and unfurled his forehead protector into a bandana. He answered her question as he tied it over his hair. "Well Sakura-chan, it has been repeatedly brought to my attention that, with my hair and my love of orange, I tend to stand out. Since I need every advantage I can get, it was decided that I need to blend in more. So my sensei made a compromise and bought me a reversible vest.

In the village and when I'm off duty, I can wear the orange side out. When I'm on a mission, I wear the green side out. Same thing with my forehead protector. In the village, it's a headband. On missions, it's a bandana to hide my hair."

To Sasuke and Sakura, the difference was subtle yet profound. They had all commended him on wearing a more toned down shade of orange. Furthermore, they admitted he looked much more professional in it, especially with the black pants. But neither of them expected this.

"So why didn't you just wear it that way from the beginning, dobe?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke and grinned. "Well I figured that everybody had already heard about my accident and possibly my problem. So I thought, if I wear the orange and anybody goes looking for me, then I'll be harder to find wearing the green and covering my hair. Sensei says that I'm a natural at stealth and by wearing this I'll almost disappear."

Both of his teammates were surprised at his answer and neither could fault his reasoning. Even the chuunin proctor who had been standing off to the side listening in was mildly impressed.

The proctor looked at his watch and moved to the gate. "Ok you three, it's time to get this show on the road." So saying he unlocked the gate. "The second exam has officially started. Good luck to you."

Team 7 nodded and walked through the gate, only to hear it locked behind them. Naruto surveyed the area then called the other two over. He fished in his pouch and pulled out two scrolls. "I made these for you the other day. These are storage scrolls. Each one contains fifteen explosive notes. I figured that since I can make them now, I might as well supply the team." Sakura smiled and thanked him while Sasuke just nodded.

Naruto glanced at his team and casually asked, "So who is going to be the team leader?"

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at the question. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. "After all," he thought, "The dobe is a bit different from before." He looked Naruto in the eye and asked, "What do you suggest?"

Naruto was confused at the Uchiha's behavior but shrugged it off. His face scrunched in thought for a moment, then he answered. "Sakura-chan you're really smart and you have studied all of this stuff right?" When the girl nodded, Naruto continued. "I think you should lead Sasuke, with Sakura-chan in the middle and me bringing up the rear. That way, since you have your sharingan, you would probably spot anything out of the ordinary and with Sakura-chan right behind you, you could check with her while I watch our backs. Besides, Sakura-chan is the medic and support person so she should would be protected on both sides in case of an attack."

Sasuke realized that he really needed to adjust his mindset where Naruto was concerned. Instead of demanding to be put in charge, the young nin gave a reasonably well thought out explanation for Sasuke to take lead. "Maybe he's not such a dobe any more," he thought.

"Alright Naruto, we will try it your way. It's not a bad plan. We should probably come up with a password in case we are separated as well."

Naruto laughed. "How about, 'What is under Kakashi-sensei's mask?' Would that work?"

Sakura laughed as well, remembering the time they had spent an entire day trying to see their sensei's face, only to be shown another mask under the first one.

"I guess I was wrong," Sasuke thought, "He's still an idiot, just more competent." Sasuke answered, "Sure I guess that will work. We have a heaven scroll so we need to find an earth scroll and make it to the tower." Sasuke gave Naruto with a speculative look. "Naruto, do you have any more blank scrolls?"

"Sure. I keep a couple sealed up just in case. Why?"

"I have an idea."

* * *

Team 7 had been walking for over an hour. So far Sasuke had led them around a patch of quicksand and Sakura had pointed out a growth of deadly carnivorous vines. Naruto had kept a constant vigil while familiarizing himself with the forest and kept all of his senses alert for any signs of danger.

The three genin paused when they heard a bloodcurdling scream. "Looks like it's started," Sasuke replied.

The trio began walking again, taking even more care to observe their surroundings. Sasuke called a halt several minutes later.

"Naruto come take a look at this," he whispered. Sakura shuddered at the grisly sight and stepped back into a protective position as Naruto came up. They both examined the bodies that Sasuke had found. Naruto gingerly picked through the remains as Sasuke studied the scene.

"Well I didn't find a scroll but I don't think any ninja did this," Naruto said.

"They probably lost it earlier and then ran into some predator," Sasuke replied. "Sakura says that there are supposedly really large and vicious animals in here. Let's get out of here before they come back." They resumed their formation and headed out.

After they had walked for a while, Naruto stiffened and stopped. "What is it Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"I don't know, but the forest feels different. Sensei taught me to be constantly aware of my surroundings. He says I'm getting pretty good but I sometimes have trouble figuring out the exact changes. Just give me a minute."

"One of these days we are going to have to meet this mysterious sensei of yours," Sakura muttered as he looked around.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Wait here for a minute. I think I have it pinned down. I'll go scout ahead." Naruto slipped into the bushes, leaving the other two to close ranks.

The blond returned just as they started to worry. Before he could get close, Sasuke pulled a kunai and blocked his path. "Hold it Naruto. What is under sensei's mask?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Nobody knows what's under Kakashi-sensei's mask, teme. We didn't find out."

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief and let him pass. Just as Naruto walked past him, Sasuke grabbed

him from behind and put the kunai to his neck. "Nice try but that was the wrong answer. Now who are you and where is Naruto?"

The captured genin released his henge, revealing himself to be a Konoha ninja. The boy appeared to be sixteen and wore dark blue pants with a long sleeved mesh undershirt covered by a dark grey gi. The youth swore, "Damn it, we were told that no one has ever seen the copy-nin's face. We thought you rookies would be easy pickings."

Sasuke was in no mood for stalling. "Where is Naruto and where are your teammates?"

"I told you, we thought you wouldn't be much of a fight, so I came alone. Look my name is Jurou and my friends have your teammate. If you let me give them the signal I'm sure they'll bring him and we can do an exchange."

Sasuke could tell the boy was lying so he was on the lookout, which is why he noticed Sakura's shadow appeared to be getting larger. "Sakura above you!"

Sakura jumped out of the way just before a gangling teen dropped down and struck the ground where she had stood.

The boy being held captive by Sasuke took advantage of the distraction to yank the kunai away from his neck and flip Sasuke over his shoulder. Sasuke somersaulted in mid-air and came down in a defensive stance just in time to meet the older nin's rush. Sasuke blocked a punch to his head and countered with a palm strike to the sternum. The older boy backed away to avoid the kick to his midsection.

Meanwhile Sakura had traded blows with her opponent and quickly realized that his taijutsu was superior. It took all of her skill to stay just out of his reach but too close for him to go for any throwing weapons without her attacking. Quickly coming up with a plan, she took a page from Naruto's book and threw herself at her attacker. The boy dropped into a defensive stance at her sudden shift allowing her just enough time to dive into a forward roll and come up behind him.

The teen turned to block the pink-haired girls' assault, only to see his third team member stab the girl from behind. "Damn man, you didn't have to kill her, she was just a kid!"

Both Sasuke and the genin he fought turned at the cry. Jurou was confused when he saw his friend yelling at empty space as the girl circled around him. "Reiji, it's a genjutsu!"

Sasuke took advantage of his foe's lapse of attention to fling two shuriken at his opponent. The genin dodged out of the way but his eyes widened when he felt a tug only to be caught flatfooted when the ninja wire wrapped around him. Unable to move his arms, the teen was in no position to block Sasuke's follow-up knockout blow. When the Uchiha looked back, Sakura was just finishing tying up her beaten opponent.

The girl giggled. "I'm just glad most genin don't bother with genjutsu after the academy."

Sasuke smiled in reply before his expression hardened. "Where is that idiot? I thought he said he knew where they were?" Sakura could hear the concern in Sasuke's voice even though he tried to hide it. If Naruto's accident did nothing else, it taught them to care more about each other as a team.

The two genin didn't have long to dwell on the matter when another teen leaped out from the bush and slammed Sakura head first into a nearby tree. The girl slid to the ground unconscious from the blow. Sasuke tried to cover his teammate but had to jump aside to avoid several thrown kunai.

"You little shits have caused us enough trouble. When I get my hands on that other little bastard, I'm going to break his legs."

Sasuke smirked despite the situation. He knew better than anyone just how aggravating fighting Naruto could be. Sasuke quickly assessed the situation and tried to sidestep around the teen to get to Sakura.

"Nice try Uchiha but I think I'll keep the girl in the line of fire for a little while longer. No sense letting you use those fancy fire jutsu."

Sasuke swore silently. The teen circled to keep Sakura directly behind him. Sasuke rushed into the larger boy, stopping short to avoid a jab to the face. The teen assumed a boxing stance and waded in to Sasuke with several combination punches.

Sasuke was able to block the strikes but had trouble counter-attacking. Deciding that the time was right, he activated his sharingan just in time to avoid a knee to the midsection. With a predatory smile, Sasuke went on the offensive. With his doujutsu now active, it was child's play to avoid the older genin's attacks.

Sasuke blocked a jab and deflected the follow up elbow. He kicked the boys' knee causing him to buckle slightly. Sasuke used the older boys shift in weight to force him to the side and clearing the way to Sakura in the process.

When the teen tried a back kick, Sasuke leaped up and kicked him further away. Sasuke was about to go for a jutsu when a series of explosions sounded from a short distance in the woods. Sasuke turned to see his opponent freeing the boy that Sakura had tied and gagged.

After his gag was removed the previously bound genin groused, "It's about time Takeda. Where the hell were you?"

"Shut it Reiji," Takeda barked. "I'm not the one who got his ass kicked by a couple of rookie genin." The two boys watched as Sasuke had moved to cover Sakura. While he was certain he could take both boys under other circumstances, as long as he had to guard Sakura his options were limited.

Suddenly there was a cry of pain and a sharp crackling sound. Reiji staggered forward while yanking a kunai from his twitching right arm. There was a dark blur as Naruto streaked from the under brush a leaped into a spinning back kick. Reiji ducked the kick but Naruto continued the spin and lashed out with a momentum fuel overhand punch. Reiji was knocked to the ground and quickly rolled out of the way of Naruto's descending axe kick.

Sasuke took advantage of his teammate's entrance to fire several fireballs at Takeda. Takeda cursed as he dodged the flaming barrage and countered with a blast of flame courtesy of the Fire Dragon Missile. Sasuke jumped to the side and threw a handful of shuriken to distract the teen and rushed in with a series of punches and kicks that kept him off balance.

Meanwhile, Naruto kept the pressure on Reiji by continuously going for his legs and injured arm. Reiji couldn't keep track of the Boy as he dodged, tumbled, and rolled around him. Naruto decided it was time to end this. Naruto channeled chakra into the seals on his gloves causing his hands to become surrounded by crackling blue chakra.

Reiji knew he was beat when he blocked the younger nin's first punch and felt the sting of electricity run up his arm. Briefly unable to control the twitching limb he could not avoid the next three shots to his torso or the uppercut that was thankfully devoid of chakra. The last thing Reiji saw before the darkness claimed him was the stony face of Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke felt cheated. It was almost too easy. With his sharingan active, the older boy went down shortly after Naruto got the other one. Now the Uchiha was trying to get his female teammate to come around. Fortunately, while she was pretty woozy, she seemed to be fine otherwise.

"Hey Naruto, we need to get out of here. Check their packs for the scroll while I take care of Sakura. We need to find a place to make camp."

Naruto nodded his agreement before rifling through their packs. Both of his teammates turned when he cursed. "Damn it, all of this and they have the heaven scroll just like us." Naruto pocketed the scroll anyway and tied the three unconscious boys to a tree.

When Sakura was steady on her feet, they continued on. Sasuke finally asked, "What happened dobe? I thought you were going to check things out."

Naruto frowned. "I did. I found them planning to ambush us. I was creeping around to set up some traps to slow them down when one of those jerks set off a trap someone else must have set up. A whole mess of leeches fell from a tree right over where I was hiding. I was able to get away from them but by then they realized I was there and started chasing me. The other two broke off, I guess to come after you and Sakura-chan, but that other asshole kept shooting fire jutsu at me. I was able to avoid them and stay just ahead of him but it's hard to dodge jutsu and watch where you're going at the same time."

The trio walked for a minute before Sasuke blurted, "Well what happened then?" Naruto mumbled his response.

"What did you say Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Naruto could not take it any more. "I said I ran into a giant spider web," he yelled. Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Naruto on the other hand was not amused. "It's not funny. Four giant spiders came while I was trying to get out and I ended up having to use explosive notes to get them to leave me alone long enough to escape."

Naruto pouted as his two team members snickered at his misfortune. Sasuke smirked, "I guess no matter what happens you will always be a dobe."

"Shut it teme," Naruto deadpanned.

* * *

**A/N: **Well that's it. I hope you enjoyed what I've done so far. Hopefully I did a decent job on the fight scenes. This is my first real attempt at writing one. With any luck I'll improve as I get more experience. That is one of the reasons I'm writing this after all. The action continues next chapter as the second exam continues. We will see if Team 7 is ready to face the challenges ahead. Anyhow, enjoy and I'll have more for you next time.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Wow, I was surprised by how many of you said you enjoyed the fight scene. I guess that means that I'm on the right track. Well you are in luck because this will be an action packed chapter. In response to some of you asking, yes there will be a pairing. You just have to wait. Just keep in mind that I'm trying to make the relationships fairly realistic. Just because it appears that a pairing has been made, doesn't mean that it is the true pairing. I don't want to ruin the suspense by telling you. For those few of you who are upset at Naruto's development as a shinobi, please understand that he needs time to grow and create his style. You will see some progress as we move through the pre-time skip events but it won't really gel until afterwards. Just trust me and enjoy the ride. I will try not to let you down.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 7

Team 7 made camp in the space between the roots of two of the giant trees that made up the forest. They had finally found a good spot a short distance from the river that ran through the training ground. Naruto setup a series of perimeter traps while Sasuke caught fish and Sakura started the fire.

The three genin sat in companionable silence as the fish cooked. Sakura contemplated the changes in her recently returned friend. Once she would have freaked at the mere insinuation that Naruto was her friend, but now she was actually quite proud of that fact. Sakura had done a lot of soul searching in the time that the boy had been gone. In that time she had realized that, she was utterly alone. Granted she still had her family, but that was different. There was no one her age that she was close to. The small crowd of girls that she had run with in the academy were only bound by their shared fixation on the Uchiha boy. That same fixation had led to the end of her friendship with Ino.

Sakura took stock of her life shortly after Naruto's injury. Seeing her teammate in that condition gave her the wakeup call that she sorely needed. When she looked at her life, she did not like the direction it was going. That was why, when Naruto returned, she made the effort to connect with him. The time they spent together was the most fun she had in a long time. They hadn't even done much, just talked mostly. It was during these talks that Sakura came to the conclusion that Naruto was a really good guy. He was funny, kind, and forgiving. Sakura had finally broken down and cried, apologizing for the way she had treated him. It amazed her when all he said was "It's ok Sakura-chan, I'm just glad we're friends now." That was it, all was forgiven. Sakura smiled at the memory. Her heart might belong to Sasuke-kun but there was a place in it for Naruto as well.

The Uchiha was also thinking about Naruto. Sasuke had never taken the boy seriously until the mission to Wave. I mean honestly, who could blame him. The boy was loud, obnoxious, and generally made a fool of himself. Sasuke respected strength and Naruto's aptitude for the shinobi arts were minimal at best. How could you take someone seriously when they wore a bright orange jumpsuit for kami's sake?

At least that is what Sasuke used to think. Naruto's ability to make solid clones were the first thing that gave the young Uchiha pause. It was inconceivable for someone who had previously been incapable of forming a simple clone to make one that was solid, and yet he did. Then there was his progress with tree climbing. After Sakura gave them a few tips, Naruto was not only able to catch up to Sasuke, but was able to dog his steps right to the top of the tree. It was then that Sasuke had begun to see his idiotic teammate as someone who might be of worth.

Then came the fight with that hunter-nin. Sasuke still did not know what prompted him to shield the boy. Did he not have a goal to accomplish? Was not his vengeance against his brother the most important thing to him? Then why did seeing Naruto in harms way make him act the way he did?

Deep down Sasuke knew that his preoccupation with his clan would not be considered healthy to most people. To this day, whenever he slept in his family home, he woke up covered in sweat from the nightmares. His mind would replay those scenes again and again until he broke down and slept in one of the other houses in the clan district. Most would think him foolish or even insane for forcing himself to live through those events over and over, but to Sasuke it was a way to honor the deaths of his parents and to keep himself focused on what was important. Killing his brother.

However, recently Sasuke found himself sleeping elsewhere more often. Things began to change when Naruto got hurt. At first, he told himself it was the training that Kakashi was putting him through. The man drove him into a fury then proceeded to beat the rage right out of him. Sasuke had to admit, he fought better when he didn't allow his fury to blind him. He came home exhausted and told himself that he needed a good nights sleep to regain his strength for training. But that did not explain why he further distanced himself from his home when Naruto returned.

Despite the fact that Naruto had been an incompetent oaf in the Uchiha's opinion, there had always been a sense of familiarity with the boy. Not long after the massacre, Sasuke had been sitting on the dock where he had practiced the Great Fireball Technique. It was the place where his father had finally shown some pride in his accomplishments. Sasuke remembered the feelings of loss and pain he had been feeling that day. Sasuke remembered looking up at road running atop the hill that surrounded the lake and seeing Naruto. When he looked the boy in the eyes, he could see the same pain and loneliness that he felt.

Sasuke had never really thought about it until the day they were assigned their teams. When Sakura said those stupid words, treating his and Naruto's loss so cavalierly. It took all his restraint to keep from slapping the silly girl. It was then that he felt the bond that he and Naruto shared. The bond of internal misery they both hid from the world. Could that be why he tried to save him that day on the bridge? Because he saw a part of himself in his teammate? Whatever it was, it had grown stronger with his return. Sure Naruto lacked the raw power he had exhibited previously, but Sasuke could respect the dedication it took to overcome that kind of crippling injury. Especially since the boy had obviously grown in skill to compensate. Sasuke decided to put his introspection off for another day. They had an exam to pass after all. One more step along the path to gaining his revenge. But maybe when it was over…

While his two team members were locked in silent contemplation, Naruto was just enjoying the moment. It felt good to be back in action. Not that he hadn't enjoyed his training, but this was different. To be back with his team, looking after each other. It was what he imagined having a family was like. As far as Naruto was concerned, his team was his family. Kakashi was the weird uncle, Sasuke was the pain in the ass brother, and Sakura-chan… well he wasn't sure. He still cared deeply for the pink-haired girl but things had changed.

Naruto had come to the realization that his crush on Sakura was no different from what those crazy fan-girls had for Sasuke. Naruto could no longer remember exactly what it was that had made him declare his love for the girl. After spending time with her, he came to the startling conclusion that he had never really known the girl. They talked about her insecurities, her loneliness, and her lack of friends. Naruto was no genius but he did tend to be more observant than people gave him credit for and those observations often gave him flashes of insight that would surprise people with there depth. Naruto had recognized that shared emotions were what drew them together. He, Sakura, Sasuke, and he was beginning to suspect Kakashi as well, were all bound by there loneliness and insecurities. But that didn't matter anymore because they had each other now and while their odd little family had it's problems, it worked for them.

It was Sakura who broke the silence as they ate. Something had been nagging at the corner of her mind and it finally hit her. "Hey Naruto, when we were looking for the exam room, you said you didn't see the genjutsu right?"

Naruto thought it over. "Yeah Sakura-chan," he said, "You and Sasuke said there was a genjutsu but all I saw was the regular room number."

Both Sasuke and Sakura frowned at this. Naruto had never been all that good at genjutsu. As a matter of fact, they both remembered him having problems spotting them before when they were still in the academy.

Sasuke continued, "Did that ever happen before? I mean you not noticing genjutsu. When did it start?"

Naruto thought about it for a minute before responding. "The only other time it happened where when we started training after I got back, but since Sakura-chan always caught them I just never worried about it."

Sakura could not keep her frustration out of her tone. "Naruto, how could you not care about something like that? Don't you realize what this means?" She huffed in annoyance when Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke decided to intervene before Sakura had a relapse and decked the fool. "This means, dobe, that your accident may have made you immune to genjutsu. Whatever it is that is stopping you from using jutsu might be disrupting the genjutsu." Sasuke actually let a hint of compassion creep into his voice. "It may not be much but at least you got something good out of it."

Naruto grinned, "Hey yeah, it just means I'm that much more awesome teme!"

Sasuke smirked. "Che, whatever idiot. Let's just get some sleep. We still have to get a scroll tomorrow." Sasuke got a rarely seen mischievous glint in his eye as he said, "Since you're so awesome you can take the first watch."

Sakura laughed at Naruto's expression before turning in for the night.

* * *

Team 7 started out early the next morning after a quick breakfast of ration bars. Sasuke and Sakura quickly realized just how handy those storage scrolls were. Naruto apparently kept all kinds of things stored in them.

The trio traveled through the forest alert for any signs of either danger or another team. They decided to head for the tower after some discussion. Their reasoning being that they would encounter more teams trying to fight those who were tired from already acquiring their scroll.

By midday, they were more than halfway there. Sasuke called for a break, not wanting to encounter any teams before they had a chance to refresh themselves. In the meantime, Naruto decided to make a pit stop.

Not wanting to offend his female friend, Naruto slipped into the bushes to relieve himself. He had only moved a few feet when a gale force wind picked him up and launched him through the trees.

Sakura and Sasuke heard the racket and were immediately on their guard. They leaped apart as a familiar Kusa kunoichi sprang up from the ground between them. The two genin regrouped and kept a wary eye on the smiling kunoichi as they scanned the area. Who knew if her other teammate was out there biding their time, waiting to strike.

The kunoichi laughed, "Very good Sasuke. Refreshed and alert, I may enjoy this more than I thought."

Sasuke scowled. "What did you do to Naruto?"

"Oh, do you mean your other teammate? Don't worry about him. I have a… friend keeping him company. More importantly," the Kusa-nin replied as she pulled out a scroll, "Don't you want this?"

Sasuke saw that the woman did indeed possess an earth scroll. He glanced at Sakura and nodded slightly when she noticed his look. Sasuke pulled out a kunai and edged around in front of the girl. He dashed forward as soon as he had the kunoichi's attention. Sasuke went into a series of attacks hoping to catch her off guard, but the Kusa-nin merely dodged and leaped back out of range. At that moment Sakura released the genjutsu she had prepared. "Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique," the girl whispered. Sakura had been praised by her teammates and her sensei for her budding genjutsu skills, which is why she was shocked when the kunoichi laughed.

Both Sasuke and Sakura's eyes bulged in disbelief and disgust when the woman extended her tongue, wrapped it around the scroll, and then swallowed it whole. The nin smiled at them and said, "How cute, but as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, lets start this battle for the scrolls with our lives on the line."

The two genin staggered as they were hit by a concentrated wave of killing intent causing visions of their imminent deaths. Kakashi had made sure to expose them to this technique during their training as it was a common way for shinobi to gain a psychological advantage over an opponent but that was nothing compared to this. Both genin broke out in a sweat and Sakura's knees buckled, though she caught herself.

Sasuke gathered his will and forced himself to move. He had managed to hold on to his kunai and so in an effort to break free of the fear that gripped him, he stabbed himself in the leg. As he hoped, the pain freed him and he quickly moved, tackling Sakura in the process, just avoiding being impaled by the kunai hurled at them. The duo quickly got to their feet and took of through a maze of roots nearby.

The strange kunoichi simply smiled and wandered sedately after them.

* * *

Anko lounged in the branches of one of the trees, enjoying a snack of dango. So far things had been proceeding according to plan. Three teams had been eliminated so far, two of them killed by a particularly vicious group of Suna genin. Her tranquility was shattered when one of the chuunin proctors appeared before her in a burst of smoke.

"Anko-sempai," the chuunin gasped, "you must come at once. We have found something strange near one of the starting gates.

Anko frowned and got to her feet. This was just what she needed. "Well what the hell is it?"

"You should probably see for yourself sempai. Izumo and Kotetsu are securing the area. Please just come with me."

"Fine, but you better not be wasting my time. I was just about to head to the tower."

The two took off with Anko wondering just what the hell all the fuss was about.

* * *

Naruto hit the ground and rolled to cushion the impact. He barely had a chance to reorient himself when a giant snake crashed through the underbrush. Naruto dived to the side and just barely missed being turned into snake chow.

Naruto swiftly drew two kunai and activated the tags on them as he threw. He hoped the shock tags would at least slow the thing down and though they were able to penetrate it's hide the low yield shock only seemed to make it mad. Naruto swore and leaped onto the trunk of a tree thinking that if he got to high ground he could avoid the damned thing. That plan proved to be futile as the snake wound its way around the tree, intent on making a meal of the fleeing boy.

Naruto leaped through the branches, occasionally throwing a kunai with an explosive note attached. Unfortunately, while the explosions did serve to slow the snake down, mainly by blowing up the braches it traveled on, between it's agility and tough hide, they didn't to much to hurt it.

Naruto decided that the best defense is a good offense and so when he hit the next branch, instead of jumping forward, he overloaded the chakra in his feet causing him to be hurled back towards the snake. He twisted in midair and drew another kunai and a wad of explosive notes as he flew at the beast. The snake swayed sinuously, letting Naruto sail past its head, and then looped around to catch him from behind. Naruto was able to twist around again, displaying his amazing agility.

The snake was headed right for him, jaws open wide. Naruto ricocheted off a branch, reached forward with the wad of explosive notes, and shoved then down the snake's gullet. The boy managed to stab the kunai in his other hand into the beasts' soft palate, halting his momentum and keeping him from going any further down its throat. The snake hissed in pain as it thrashed around, trying to dislodge the desperately clinging genin. Naruto did not have to hold on for long as the seals activated and blew the snake apart from the inside.

Naruto tumbled down and just managed to hit a tree trunk with his feet. He leaped from tree to tree to slow his descent and hit the ground running. He stopped to get his bearings and took off again; desperately hoping his team was all right.

* * *

Anko raced through the trees, straining her senses to the utmost, trying to track down her former sensei. When she arrived at the bodies the proctors had found, she immediately knew who it was. Anko did her duty and dispatched two of the chuunin to alert the Hokage and ANBU to Orochimaru's presence. Having done that she left straight away, intent on being the one to find him and end his miserable existence.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura were hiding in the roots of one of the giant trees cloaked by one of Sakura's genjutsu, trying to regroup and come up with a plan to take out the grass ninja and find Naruto. Both of the genin were shaken by the encounter with the strange woman but they had an exam to complete and a teammate to find. Thankfully, they were able to calm themselves so when a giant snake slithered down from the overlaying canopy they both reacted instantly.

The snake seemed intent on Sasuke as he leaped away and ran up a tree. The Uchiha unleashed a multitude of kunai that were joined with several thrown by Sakura. They both landed on a branch overlooking the beast and were shocked to see the Kusa kunoichi emerge from its corpse.

The Kusa-nin addressed them both, "You shouldn't relax for even a second. Prey should always be doing it's best to escape… in the presence of a predator that is."

Sasuke gave Sakura a calculating look. While he was getting his fear under control, he was also wondering if they had any chance to beat the strange shinobi. Sakura looked back at him with a worried look on her face but calmed down when he gave her a slight nod.

Sakura gathered her courage and stepped forward praying that this would work. "Look," she said, "why don't you just take our scroll and leave us alone in exchange?" Sakura took a scroll out of her pouched and tossed it to older woman.

The nin grabbed the scroll and leered at them. "So, to escape the predator, the prey gives it a more appetizing meal." The two could feel no more than a sliver of relief as she tossed the scroll aside just a second before it exploded. "Nice try, but you have to do better than that to fool me."

Sasuke cursed as he and Sakura prepared to fight. Their ploy of giving strong opponents fake scrolls filled with explosive notes did not work as well as they had hoped. Sasuke activated his sharingan and launched a barrage of fireballs as the Kusa-nin blurred towards them.

The attack brought her up short and she was nearly impaled by several kunai crackling with electricity that came from above.

"Hey guys, next time could you send up a signal a little sooner. I had a hell of a time tracking you down," said Naruto with a cocky grin.

"Naruto," exclaimed Sakura.

"Glad to see you're still alive," said Sasuke with a hint of relief.

"Naruto-kun, I see you were able to beat my pet," the kunoichi calmly stated.

"I figured that was you", Naruto glowered as he jumped down to stand with his team. "I say we skin this snake freak."

"I don't know Naruto. She is really strong," Sakura replied.

"We can do this Sakura-chan. All we have to do is work together." Naruto turned to Sasuke. "What do you say?"

Even though the weird ninja before them made him… nervous, Sasuke was not about to be out done by Naruto. "Let's do this," he retorted.

"Oh so you want to try to face me down? Well it doesn't matter, I'll still kill you." The grass ninja bit her thumb, swiped the blood across a tattoo on her left arm, and yelled, "Summoning Technique." A cloud of smoke swirled around her and dissipated to reveal her standing on a giant snake five times the size of the previous ones.

Naruto bristled and took off towards the snake yelling back, "You two keep that bitch busy and I'll deal with the snake."

The kunoichi gave Naruto a bored looked and nonchalantly told the snake, "Eat him."

Naruto leaped back, barely avoiding the striking serpent as it slammed through the tree branches and hit the ground. Naruto was only just able to hold his temper as he screamed, "Eat shit!" The boy threw several handfuls of kunai, all trailing explosive notes at the snakes eyes and nose. The notes detonated, sending up a cloud of dust and debris. Naruto was not so lucky a second time as the now half-blind snake struck from the cover of the dirt cloud and slammed into him. Naruto screamed and spit up blood as he was pinned to a tree.

"Naruto," came the twin yells of Sasuke and Sakura.

"So the kyuubi brat can't even call on the power of his prisoner," the Kusa-nin muttered. "Pathetic. Why don't I just finish you now?" The snake released Naruto only to slam him into the ground, the impact leaving a small crater. Naruto lie still as the snake dispersed into a cloud of smoke that quickly faded.

Sasuke and Sakura both jumped down to their fallen comrade. "Sakura check on Naruto and do what you can for him," Sasuke ordered. He then leveled a murderous glare at the enemy nin, "I'll deal with this bastard."

The nin stared into Sasuke's blazing sharingan eyes. This is what he was here to see. "Come little Uchiha. Let me see the vaunted power of those precious eyes!"

As his opponent shot towards him, Sasuke reached into his pouch and pulled out several kunai and what looked like a miniature fuma shuriken. Sasuke's focus was solely on his enemy. "I can see him," he thought. Sasuke sent the projectiles hurtling towards the nin who simply dodged them all. Sasuke smiled maliciously as he jerked his head back, revealing the nearly invisible wires caught between his clenched teeth. The elder shinobi was startled to realize that he was caught in a trap. The shuriken trailing the wire swung around binding his hands at his sides. Sasuke's hands flew through the seals before he announced, "Dragon Fire Technique." A red-hot trail of fire flowed down the wire right into the helpless ninja and engulfed her head.

Sakura looked on from where she was taking care of Naruto and smiled in savage satisfaction. "Cha, serves that fucker right," she thought.

As the flames died down, however, the two were disheartened to hear the apparently deranged nin laughing. The two looked on in disgust to see terrible burns over her face, although the skin around her left eye had peeled away revealing unblemished skin and a gleaming yellow eye. "To be able to use the sharingan to read my movements at this age, truly you carry the power of the Uchiha blood. It is just as I thought… I want you." With the fire having burned away the wire holding her, the freaky kunoichi was able to reach up and wipe her smudged forehead protector. Instead of the symbol for Kusa, however, there was a single music note.

"Sasuke-kun, I have enjoyed testing your powers. I sense a strength in you that surpasses that of your brother. I think I will leave you with a little gift."

Sasuke was utterly confused. "What the hell are you talking about? Who are you? What do you know about Itachi?"

"My name is Orochimaru. Should you survive the exam, then you will definitely be seeing me again. That is assuming you make it past my Sound trio."

Sakura was fed up with the crazy nin's ramblings. "Who the hell wants to see you again, you freak."

Orochimaru chuckled as went through hand seals. Upon their completion , his neck extended towards Sasuke and his mouth stretched open to show gleaming fangs. Before his head had covered half the distance, two snakes streaked from above to intercept him. The Sannin had no choice but to retract his head and backpedal as the snakes made for his unprotected neck.

"I don't think so Orochimaru," yelled Anko. She smiled as he glared at her, though he quickly schooled his features into a more pleasant façade.

"Well well well, if it isn't little Anko. Did you miss me child?"

Anko smiled pleasantly. "Maybe, but I promise next time I wont." Anko turned to the two conscious genin without taking her eyes off Orochimaru and said, "You two take the gaki and get out of here. Me and sensei," she stressed with venomous sarcasm, "have some unfinished business."

"I'm afraid my business with Sasuke-kun is not quite finished, so I would appreciate him staying. Besides, I don't think they will get very far with their injured little friend, do you?"

"Damn it," Anko snarled, "Cover him and stay out of the way. ANBU should be in route. I will take care of this piece of filth." Anko silently released several kunai from the sleeves of her coat and hurled them at her former mentor. The Sannin easily dodged but she merely used them to cover her approach. She initiated a series of lightning fast strikes, her hands blurring as she strove to land a hit. Orochimaru dodged with sinuous grace countering with vicious blows as he mocked her efforts.

"Is that all you have Anko-chan? I thought you would have improved since I left." The villainous snake smiled before he twisted the knife. "Maybe I was mistaken when I chose you to be my apprentice. I guess leaving you behind was for the best after all. Why would I want such a worthless student?" Anko snarled in rage and redoubled her assault.

Sasuke watched with his sharingan, hoping to see an opportunity to help the struggling woman. Sasuke, eyes still intent on the fight, called to his teammate, "How is he Sakura?"

The obviously stressed girl wiped her brow and continued working. "It's weird. He has three cracked ribs, two of which I could have sworn were broken when I first checked him. The damage to his internal organs is also nowhere near as bad as it should be after that kind of attack." Sakura shook her head and sighed, "I just don't know. There is something weird about his chakra too, but I'm not experienced enough to tell what it is."

Sasuke nodded and asked, "Will he be alright?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm a little worried that he hasn't woken up yet but other than that, all he needs is time and rest. I've wrapped his ribs and done all I can for the rest. Hopefully when we get to the tower we can get him some help."

Sasuke was not so distracted by the budding medic-nin's prognosis that he missed his chance. Anko had finally calmed down enough to fight more effectively. During a particularly brutal exchange, she took a blow to the side to complete the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands Technique. The battered kunoichi managed to snag her erstwhile teachers arm and used it to slam him into a tree. Before she could attempt the suicide technique she had decided to use, a giant fireball streaked past and engulfed the Sannin.

She was disheartened to see the charred form of Orochimaru crumble apart. "Damn it, when did he?" She was cut off by the sadistic laughter of the sociopath. Orochimaru stood several feet up in the branches of a tree looking none the worse for wear.

"As much as I would love to stay and finish this little reunion, a good guest knows when he has overstayed his welcome. Tell the old man not to stop the exams or remove Sasuke from them. Despite me not getting what I came for, this has been entertaining. If you should ruin my fun prematurely," Orochimaru suddenly became deadly serious, "I will burn this village to the ground."

Anko frowned. The bastard sounded like he thought she would just let him leave. As soon as she moved, Orochimaru made a hand sign. Anko screamed out in agony as the curse mark on her shoulder flared up. Orochimaru smiled at her before turning to Sasuke.

"It seems we will have to continue this another time dear boy. I hope you survive until then. I would be so disappointed in you otherwise." Having said his piece the serpentine man seemed to sink into the tree branch and disappear.

Sakura went to check on Anko, having done all she could for Naruto. Four ANBU agents appeared while she was tending to the woman. After hearing her account of what happened, three set off after Orochimaru as the other took Anko to receive medical attention. The two genin were just considering his offer to escort them to the tower to get help when they heard a mumbled "NO".

The duo looked back to see Naruto sitting up painfully against the tree. "No, we won't quit. I have not come this far to give up now."

Sasuke nodded in understanding but Sakura was not so indulgent. "Naruto you are hurt. There is no way you can keep going in your condition. Its ok, we can try again next time. You don't have to prove anything to us, we believe in you." The girl wiped her teary eyes.

Naruto smiled softly at his friend. "Thanks Sakura-chan. It's nice to hear that, but I'm not doing this for you. This is for me. I have to prove to myself that I can do this. Remember the lesson from the first exam. We have accepted the mission and now we have to continue."

Sakura started to argue but was interrupted by Sasuke's hand on her shoulder. He looked her in the eye as he said, "He needs to do this Sakura. It is his decision."

Sakura hesitated but she knew that ultimately he was right. She bowed her head and said, "Fine."

Sasuke turned back to the ANBU agent who walked over to Naruto. The genin watched him as he scrutinized him for a minute before he seemed to reach a conclusion. In an act that shocked all present, the ANBU reached out and grasped Naruto by the shoulder, the blank eyes of his mask staring out at him, and nodded in respect. He then shifted to better support Anko and then disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Naruto laughed, "Hah, beat that Sasuke. Ow." Sasuke rolled his eyes at the goof while Sakura fussed over him.

* * *

The three members of Team 7 left the scene of the battle to find a safe place to set up camp. When they found a defensible position, Sakura cast the False Surroundings Technique to hide the camp. After Sakura double checked his leg, Sasuke went to get water as Sakura set up the traps.

The three exhausted genin ate in silence. When they finished their meal, Sasuke and Naruto recounted their separate battles while Sakura examined Naruto. Neither noticed her mounting frustration until, in the middle of Naruto explaining how he blew up the snake, she took the boys head in both hands and scowled. "What the hell is up with you? A few hours ago, you had three cracked ribs and some internal bruising. Now the bruising is damn near healed and your ribs only have minor fractures. Naruto, please tell me what is going on?"

Naruto looked at his concerned teammates. Normally Naruto was an honest person, but he just could not bring himself to tell them the truth. Would they even accept him if they knew the truth? He couldn't risk it, not now. So he did what he always did in these kinds of situations, he played stupid. "I don't know Sakura-chan. I've always healed fast. They even mentioned it when I was at the hospital."

Sasuke peered over at them and said, "It could be a bloodline limit. Since no one knows who his parents are, it is possible that it's a rare one."

Sakura thought it over. "Yeah, I guess that could be it, but I never heard of a bloodline limit that caused rapid healing. She pounded her fist in her hand with resolution. "When this is over, I'm going to see if there is any record of a bloodline like this. If we're lucky it could provide some clue to who your parents were."

Outwardly, Naruto smiled and agreed, but on the inside, he felt like the world biggest jerk. Here he was lying to his friends and all they wanted to do was help. Maybe he should talk to Kakashi or the Sandaime. He could really use their advice.

* * *

The next morning, three shadowed figures watched the seemingly empty area beneath the tree roots. One tapped the other two and they withdrew further into the bushes. When they were sure they were outside of the range of hearing the finally spoke .

"They are there, I can tell. That genjutsu can fool the eyes but I can pick up the slight sounds they are making underneath it. Kin you deal with the genjutsu. We will attack once you dispel it."

"Hey Dosu, let me kill the Uchiha. You two can take the others if they try to interfere."

"Fine Zaku," Dosu replied, "Kin, if they get in our way, kill them. We have our mission. Do not disappoint Orochimaru-sama."

The trio readied themselves. The girl, Kin, stepped out of the bushes and formed a ram seal. "Kai," she yelled as she released a pulse of chakra. The illusion around the area wavered and faded revealing the surprised faces of Team 7.

Zaku smiled cruelly as he called out. "Hey Uchiha, come out and face me." Just as he was about to step forward, Kin called out, "Wait, it's a trap." Zaku stopped dead in his tracks as Kin once again released a pulse of chakra. "They set up a double genjutsu. The first one was a decoy, the second covers a trap."

Sure enough, when the illusion broke, there was a trench with kunai jutting up at the bottom. Zaku glared at his target. "Nice try, but we are the best."

Naruto gave a feral grin. "Who said that was the only trap." Meanwhile, Sakura swiped a concealed rope with her kunai.

The Oto-nin looked up as a large log swung in their direction. Dosu reacted instantly by activating his Melody Arm and slamming it into the log, reducing the log to kindling. Unfortunately for them, after the fight with Orochimaru, Naruto had been exercising his prankster nature with vicious intent. The explosive notes hidden on the back of the log were triggered by the attack sending wooden shrapnel raining down on the sound three and bowling them over. Only the timely intervention of Zaku and his Decapitating Air Wave saved them from serious injury, though none of them escaped unscathed. All three had sustained minor cuts and splinters.

"Naruto, you take the one with the arm, Sakura take the girl and I'll take the blowhard," Sasuke commanded. Team 7 raced to their opponents.

Sakura jump kicked Kin, knocking her back into the bushes. Naruto stayed back and threw kunai with shock tags attached at Dosu. He had seen what that arm could do and he knew that a close up fight was no good. Sasuke took his fight in close. While they had hoped the traps would take out their watchers, the main purpose had been to force them to reveal their abilities. Lucky for them, two of them had.

Sasuke easily got the upper hand on Zaku. It was obvious the cocksure boy, while no slouch at taijutsu, was a distance fighter. Sasuke on the other hand had the makings of a close to midrange taijutsu/ninjutsu specialist. Sasuke dominated the fight, landing more than half his attacks. Zaku was finally able to slip a nasty kick through Sasuke's guard and kick him away. Using the distraction he backed away before smirking.

"This is it for you punk. I'm charging to 100 percent. Decapitating Air Waves."

Sasuke was quick to react and his time spent training with Kakashi served him well. In less than a second he flew through several hand seal. "Grand Fireball Technique." The two techniques met halfway and exploded in a massive inferno. Zaku caught the backlash but was able to throw his arms up to shield his face. He suffered searing agony as the intense heat burned his arms. Sasuke, who knew what to expect, had performed the Replacement Technique as soon as he let loose the fireball. He escaped with only a headache and minor scorching. Using this to his advantage, he knocked out the screaming genin.

In the meantime, Sakura was using Kin to let out some pent up aggression. Between getting knocked out in her first fight and being relatively useless in combat against Orochimaru, the girls pride had taken a beating. She knew intellectually that she had vastly improved. Kakashi himself had praised her growth. But it was not enough. Her taijutsu was still only average, her genjutsu were not the most combat applicable and although she enjoyed her medic training and recognized its usefulness, it was not enough. So Sakura fell back on a behavior that she had previously given up. Taking her frustration out on others.

Kin was bewildered. She was sure the prissy little pink-haired wanna-be was a weakling. Man was she wrong. The girl fought like an enraged mother bear. The only thing keeping Kin in the fight was the fact that her taijutsu was slightly better and the girl was a bit sloppy due to her rage. Kin decided the best option was to make her blind with rage so she could capitalize on her superior skill.

"Come on you prissy little bitch," she yelled as she ducked an uppercut. "What kind of ninja has such pretty pink hair? Who are you trying to impress. Its pitiful little girls like you who give the rest of us serious kunoichi a bad name. I'm going to enjoy gutting you and I'm sure by now my team has finished off those weaklings you call teammates. If they aren't I'll just have to help them make it slow and painful."

By now Sakura was seeing red. It was bad enough that they had been put through the wringer only to have to deal with these jerks. It was bad enough that this witch was insulting her. But no one and she meant no one threatened her boys.

Kin was sure she had the girl now. The little princess had missed two blocks during her little diatribe. Now was her chance. Kin was able to get a grip on the girl's hair and yank her head to the side, but when she brought her kunai around to finish her, the suddenly eerily composed girl grabbed the blade and stopped it dead. Kin tried with all her strength to move the weapon but despite the blood dripping from her hand, Sakura would not budge.

Sakura glared up at the now frightened girl and said in a deadly calm voice, "For a serious kunoichi, you talk too much." Kin never saw the devastating right hook that knocked her out. All she saw were those cold green eyes following her into oblivion.

Naruto knew he was in trouble. His plan to stay at a distance was only partially successful. He had been able to catch Dosu with two kunai in the first barrage. The boy had assumed they were regular kunai and blocked with his Melody Arm. Imagine his surprise when he got a dose of electricity running up his arm. After that he made sure to dodge.

Unfortunately, Naruto's handicap put him at a severe disadvantage in this fight. Dosu quickly decided his best option was to use the Replacement Technique. That put Naruto on the defensive. He had been doing his best to avoid contact, trying to stay at the edge of the Oto-nin's range of vision by rolling and dodging. But the fact that Dosu didn't actually need to connect with a hit for the arm to affect him meant that Naruto was in a bad way. The disorientation and nausea were getting to him. The only thing keeping him in the fight was his accelerated healing, his use of his shock gloves whenever he could focus enough to channel chakra, and sheer pigheaded stubbornness.

Dosu was quickly getting fed up with the blond genin. The bastard just would not stay down. He could almost respect the kids' determination if it wasn't so annoying. Dosu was pondering his next move when two bundles were hurled into the clearing. Their target, Uchiha Sasuke, and the pink-haired girl, whose name he could care less about, stood over his bound, gagged and unconcious teammates. Dosu glared at the two beaten nin in disgust. As much as he hated to admit it, there was no way he could beat all three of them alone.

Dosu backed off the blond kid and brought up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Ok, you win. How about a trade. We have both scrolls, I'll trade you whichever one you need in return for my team." As disgusted as he was with them, Kin and Zaku were still his team and he would not abandon them.

Sasuke stepped forward with an amused smirk on his face. "What is stop us from just beating you and taking it?"

Dosu frowned but continued the diplomatic approach. "Look, blondie over there is on his last legs and I'm good enough that I can make you wear yourselves out chasing me. Then you would be in no condition to fight anyone else and you'd still have to make it to the tower. Just take the trade and we can go our separate ways. Is it really worth it just to keep us from passing this part of the exam?"

Sakura put her hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "He has a point. Let's take the deal. Besides, if they do make it, there is a good chance we will face them in the next part of the exams."

Sasuke nodded at her advice. "Fine. Throw the scroll over here, and then we will back out of here and be on our way. You can free them after we leave. If you try to chase us we will be ready for you."

Dosu agreed and tossed the scroll to Sasuke. Sasuke handed it over to Sakura while he kept an eye on the sound ninja. "It's good, Sasuke" the girl verified. "Let's go."

Sakura hoisted Naruto up by the arm and put it around her shoulders to support him. The trio backed out of the clearing then took of. After they had put a good distance between them and the sound shinobi they stopped to take a break. Sakura gave Naruto something to help with the nausea and his disorientation seemed to have subsided. Naruto smiled sadly at his friends as they rested. "Sorry I couldn't beat him guys."

It was Sasuke who answered, "Don't worry about it. The point is you held your own until we could get there and we got the scroll we needed. Anyway, you saved us the first time so we owed you."

Sakura chimed in, "Yeah, we're just glad your ok. We are a team; we watch each other's backs and cover each other's weaknesses. That's what sensei taught us, remember?"

Naruto smiled and nodded. They were right but he still promised himself that he would get stronger. He would protect them just like they protected him.

* * *

The Hokage had just finished listening to Anko's report of what happened in the forest. Anyone who looked closely could see the pain the news had brought him. It was bad enough when he discovered his most prized student's treachery but to actively target a shinobi of the village was an even greater betrayal. Sarutobi Hiruzen hardened his heart. He had made the mistake of letting his feelings interfere with his duty once, he would not make the same mistake.

Sarutobi summoned two of his ANBU. "Get me Ibiki and Jiraiya. You should know where to look. I want them to report to my office now." When the ANBU agents left, the old man gazed out the window at his home. "Not this time Orochimaru. I will not let you get away this time."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon by the time Team 7 made it to the tower. They had come across two more teams on their way there. The first team they beat with no problem. They spared them and merely sent them on their way. The second team saw their disheveled appearance, the wary method in which they carried themselves and the grim look in their eyes and chose to go after easier prey.

When they entered the tower they read the message on the wall and Sakura correctly interpreted it's meaning. The opened scrolls released a plume of smoke that revealed Iruka.

"Hey, long time no see. It looks like you guys had trouble, but I'm glad you made it here safely," Iruka said.

Naruto smiled, "It's good to see you sensei but why are you here?"

"Well it was set up so that a chuunin would greet each team that made it. They agreed to let me be the one to greet you," Iruka replied.

Iruka explained the meaning of the heaven and earth message. He also congratulated them on passing the second exam. He talked with his former students as he led them to the rooms they would use until the end of the second test. The three genin gladly accepted the rooms, happy to be able to relax after all they had been through. They took some much-needed showers, got a decent meal and went to sleep, wondering what was next.

* * *

**A/N: **Well that concludes another chapter. Thanks for your patience as this was a pain to write. I hope you enjoy the action. The Kin/Sakura fight was by far the most fun to write. Too often Sakura gets the shaft until Tsunade gets to the village. It was good to see her kick some ass. I tried to further their growth as a team while keeping them relatively reasonable as far as their combat prowess.

The differences from canon keep growing. Did any of you expect Anko to intervene in that fight? Or Sasuke avoiding getting the curse mark? In the next chapter the changes continue though certain situations will remain the same for the sake of the story. I will try to get the next chapter out faster now that I have more experience writing combat scenes. Until next time, enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Welcome back. I would like to ask you to visit my profile page. I have a poll up that will potentially affect the update schedule. I am thinking of starting a second fic and I would like your feedback. Anyway, the preliminaries are about to begin so lets get this show on the road.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 8

Team 7 spent the next day resting and recuperating. They all visited the medical facilities to get their various injuries taken care of. Afterwards, they split up. After restocking his equipment from his storage scrolls, Naruto found the cafeteria where he split his time between listening to Kiba boast and being challenged by Choji to a ramen eating contest. Naruto won but it was close. Sakura wandered around until she saw Hinata. There was a gleam in her eye as she approached the timid Hyuuga, and for several hours after the two could be seen huddled in conversation with Hinata sporting a deep blush. Sasuke preferred to spend most of his free time in solitude, thought that was hampered by having to avoid a rather persistent Yamanaka Ino. Sasuke shuddered as he wondered how the girl always seemed show up in his immediate vicinity.

There were several mishaps of course. After Hinata left Sakura, she went to the cafeteria to find her team but ran right into Naruto who was leaving after his victory over Choji. Hinata took one look at the grinning boy and, having recalled everything that Sakura told her, promptly fainted. Luckily, both Kiba and Shino were on hand to tend to their unconscious team member. Sakura found Ino while on the way back to their rooms and immediately got into an argument over Ino stalking Sasuke. Sasuke, who had not had a moment's peace, was ready to clobber Naruto when he found out that he was the one who first set the girl on his trail. Naruto just shrugged and said that is what he got for being antisocial.

The only other major occurrence was the arrival of the Sound Trio. By unspoken mutual consent, they and Team 7 avoided each other for the duration, although Zaku could be heard making snide comments whenever they were in the same area.

Finally, the fifth day arrived, as did the final team, consisting of Kabuto and his teammates, and all the teams were anxious to see what came next. Midway through the afternoon and announcement was made for everyone to assemble in the cafeteria. From there they were led by Anko into a large room reminiscent of a small stadium. The 21 assembled genin stood before their sensei and the Hokage as he gave a speech about the true purpose of the exams. A sickly looking special jounin named Gekkou Hayate took over at that point. A few of the genin were surprised when they were told that there would be a round of preliminary elimination matches.

" Now," Hayate called out, "are there any of you who do not feel capable of continuing? Please come forward now as we will be starting immediately." Everyone looked around, none of them believing that anyone would quit after coming so far. They were surprised when Kabuto stepped forward.

"Um, I think I would like to quit." Several of the genin looked at him in disbelief, while others looked on in derision.

Hayate coughed as he looked over the roster. "You are Yakushi Kabuto from Konoha correct? Very well, you may leave. Any one else? I forgot to mention from here on out it will be individual battles so you may quit without affecting your team."

No one else moved so he continued. "If you would look behind me you will see a set of monitors. You will all move to the balcony until your match is called. From there you will face off in a series of one-on-one matches. Since we now have twenty participants, there will be ten matches. There are no rules. The fights continue until one of you forfeits, is knocked unconscious, or killed. Treat this as you would life or death combat. I will decide the winner. Once that is established, I will jump in and stop things, as we do not want unnecessary corpses. The winners will advance to the final exam. Now let's start things off with the two names of the first fight."

Behind him on the screens appeared two names. Aburame Shino vs. Tsurugi Misumi. The jounin sensei gathered their teams and led them up to the balcony leaving only the two competitors. Shino calmly squared of against the older boy. Hayate stood between them. When he saw that they were ready, he jumped back and yelled, "Begin."

Misumi stared down at the stoic Aburame. "Just so you know, I intend to end this fight quickly. I will show no mercy."

Up on the balcony Hinata turned to Kiba. "Will Shino-kun be alright?"

Kiba watched intently as he responded, "He's strong. That's one guy even I don't want to fight seriously."

Misumi decided not to waste any time as he raced forward to attack. Shino calmly weathered the assault with minimal movement and effort. Misumi smiled cruelly when Shino blocked a right with his left arm only for the limb to stretch and wrap around his arm. Misumi contorted as his limbs snaked around the younger boy. Within seconds, he held Shino firmly wrapped in a vice like grip despite his writhing struggles.

"In order to gather intel my body has been altered to fit into any space," Misumi chuckled darkly. "I can keep squeezing until I break your bones. If you resist I will keep squeezing harder."

Shino, ever composed just said, "I see. You must use chakra to control your body in that state. How do I know this you ask? It is only logical. That being the case I would suggest that you give up now."

Misumi sneered. "What do you think you can do, Aburame? I know that your clan uses bugs. If you try anything I will snap your neck!" It was only then that Misumi realized what Shino had been up to. All the struggling and moving around had been a distraction to cover him releasing his kikaichu. Instead of the steady tightening that he anticipated, Misumi felt his grip slackening as the destruction bugs ate the chakra controlling his elongated limbs.

Lacking the strength to hold the boy much longer, Misumi tried to salvage the situation by following through on his threat. Unfortunately for him, while he had more than enough chakra to continue fighting, the kikaichu were focused on draining the chakra that allowed him to control his extremities. Everyone could now see the swarm of insects crawling over the teen's body. Misumi was no longer able to exert enough force to break Shino's neck and he found himself slipping to the ground, no longer able to support himself.

Shino stared calmly as the flaccid body of his opponent, his face unreadable behind his coat and sunglasses. "As I said, it is in your best interest to forfeit. My kikaichu are draining your chakra as we speak and soon you will no longer posses the required amount to pull yourself together. I have no wish to be responsible for the injury of a fellow leaf-nin. If your refuse however I will take the necessary steps to insure my victory."

Misumi could barely move and the young genin before him was just unreadable enough that he could not tell how far he would be willing to go. "Orochimaru-sama forgive me," he thought. "I give up," he shouted.

Shino nodded and the mass of insect flowed back into his coat, causing many of the waiting competitors to shudder in revulsion. Hayate stepped forward and declared, "Winner, Aburame Shino!"

Shino strolled back up the stairs to his team as medics carted off the limp Misumi. Naruto watched as he mentally prepared himself for the battle ahead.

The screen flickered again before producing two more names. "Akado Yoroi and Uchiha Sasuke," Hayate called. Sasuke walked down to the battlefield to be joined by a young man with dark lenses over his eyes and a cloth covering his face. Sasuke stood nonchalant as the special jounin called for them to begin.

Yoroi looked to his opponent. "Are you ready?" He formed a hand seal and activated his jutsu.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied as he slipped into a fighting stance. He watched as Yoroi reached back and threw three shuriken at him. Sasuke drew a kunai and deflected all three of the spinning blades back at his foe. Yoroi dodged to the side and went on the attack. He leaped forward and threw a straight jab. Sasuke easily knocked the strike aside and used his free hand to intercept the follow up uppercut.

Sasuke was taken by surprise however when he felt the strength leave his arm. He jumped back in a series of dodges as Yoroi became more aggressive. Sasuke decided it was time and activated his doujutsu. He could see the chakra encasing the man's hand and thanks to his bloodline limit was able to maintain his distance although he could still feel a pull on his chakra whenever an attack got too close.

Sasuke realized that he needed to go on the offensive to win. The young Uchiha threw several kunai, the deadly missiles forcing his opponent to either dodge or block and enabling him to put some space between them. Sasuke flashed through handsigns and released a series of fireballs. Yoroi ran to the side to avoid the flaming barrage then turned and ran toward his prey. Sasuke waited until the older nin was closing in on him to blur through the seals to his favorite jutsu. "Grand Fireball Technique," he shouted. Sasuke's timing was almost perfect. Yoroi tried to jump but the giant ball of flames hit him at his apex and exploded.

Yoroi fell to the ground with his chakra absorption technique deactivated. Sasuke ran ahead and jumped into an axe kick. Yoroi was able to roll away and get unsteadily to his feet. Unluckily for him, his injuries hampered his movement so when Sasuke pressed the attack he could not keep up with the speedy genin. Sasuke used his foe's lack of mobility to get around him and when Yoroi could not keep up, he used the opportunity to sweep his legs. Yoroi hit the ground and instantly felt a weight on his chest as Sasuke held one of his arms down and placed a kunai to his throat.

Sasuke stared blankly down at him and spoke but one word, "Yield." Sasuke felt Yoroi tense under him and not giving him time to act used the elbow of the arm holding the kunai to crack him in the temple, knocking him unconscious.

Hayate stepped forward and proclaimed," Winner, Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura and Ino both cheered as he walked up the steps. When he passed Naruto, Sasuke grinned and whispered, "Beat that." Naruto smiled as he nodded acceptance to the challenge.

Across the room on the other balcony, Orochimaru disguised as the jounin-sensei of the Sound Trio smiled. "Yes Sasuke, I chose well. Show me your power, you would make the perfect vessel for me to continue my quest," he thought.

Next to him, Zaku grit his teeth. Even after treatment from the medical team, his arms still hurt. The burns had been serious and were still not completely healed. He looked down at the bandages around his arms and promised that the punk Uchiha would pay dearly.

Everyone watched as the screen flashed before displaying the names of the next two combatants. "Rock Lee and Kankuro." Rock Lee eagerly leaped down from the balcony as Kankuro walked unhurriedly down to meet him. Lee had been waiting enthusiastically for his turn. The fights so far had only served to feed his flames of youth and he was eager to show his beloved teacher and those assembled what he was capable of.

When Kankuro made it down, Hayate looked to both fighters before jumping back and yelling, "Begin."

"Yosh," Lee shouted, "I will show you what a genius of hard work is capable of."

"Whatever kid," Kankuro replied as he swung the wrapped object from his back and held it up at his side, "I'll end this quick."

Both fighters eyed each other, looking for any sign of weakness. Finally, Kankuro held his hand palm up and gestured for Lee to come for him. Lee did not need to be asked twice. With a cry of, "Yosh," Lee blazed forward faster than any of the competitors had moved so far. His speed caught Kankuro completely off guard, so he was unable to block the devastating blow to his midsection.

There was an audible crack and Lee could feel something splintering where he struck his opponent. Surprised, he jumped back as 'Kankuro' leaped forward and extended his arms to ensnare the green clad boy, shedding its disguise in the process. The forgotten bundle burst apart as the real Kankuro revealed himself. "Damn, I almost had you with that one. You're faster than I thought."

Lee looked between the puppet and Kankuro and frowned. "So you hide while deceiving your opponents into thinking this puppet is you? How unyouthful. Your tricks will not save you now." So saying, he ran forward, slipping past the puppet to pummel the smirking boy. However, before he could land the blow, the puppet moved to intercept him.

Lee dodged away as it grabbed for him. Lee was impressed that the thing could keep up with his speed, but he was not discouraged. If he could not get past the puppet, he would just have to go through it. Lee once again moved to strike Kankuro, but when the puppet intervened, he attacked it instead. He launched it into the air using the Leaf Rising Wind. When the puppet was airborne, he attempted to use the Leaf Whirlwind, but two kicks into the combo he had to break off as the puppet twisted in the air and fired several senbon from it's gaping mouth.

"You can't escape my puppet. You might as well give it up kid," Kankuro taunted. He would show this weirdo who was the better ninja. Honestly, who went around wearing green spandex and a bowl cut. Of course, Kankuro was oblivious to the hypocrisy of that thought.

Lee backed away as the puppet moved after him, trying to come up with a plan. Apparently, since the Suna nin was controlling the puppet, it was able to move in ways no human ever could. Lee smiled as he realized that all he needed was to give Kankuro something else to think about. "Yosh, " he yelled. "I will show you what the Beautiful Green Beast can do!" Lee reached into his weapons pouch and drew six kunai. Moving three in each hand, he once more went on the offensive.

Lee turned his attention to Kankuro, outmaneuvering the puppet even as it fired bursts of needles at him. Kankuro watched, figuring the strange looking boy decided to try for him again. Before Lee had made it half way to his foe, he was once again intercepted by the tricloptic marionette. Lee quickly juked and threw three kunai straight at Kankuro. Lee used his split second of distraction to race past the puppet and get closer to his target. Kankuro's eyes widened as he realized the boys plan. Unfortunately for the black clad puppeteer he was unable to do anything to stop it. Every time he was able to get his puppet between Lee and himself, he ended up dodging kunai and shuriken. Rock Lee's speed allowed him to avoid the grasping arms and fired senbon of the puppet. Had it been anyone else, the simple plan would have failed. Puppeteers were trained to be able to move even as they controlled their puppets. Regrettably for Kankuro, while he was proficient in the puppet arts, he was no master and Lee was faster than most of the enemies he had ever faced.

The split second when his focus shifted from attacking and blocking with his puppet to dodging the projectiles was all Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast needed to get closer. Finally, Lee was within striking range and Kankuro was out of luck. With blinding speed Lee swept Kankuro's legs out from under him and before he could hit the ground, blurred into the Leaf Great Whirlwind. Kankuro lost all the concentration needed to control his puppet as he was pummeled unmercifully by the genin's powerful kicks. With a final axe kick, the puppeteer crashed to the ground.

Kankuro could barely move. It hurt to even breathe. As his vision cleared he saw the grim face of Rock Lee, his fist cocked back for the final blow. Kankuro knew he could not stop the boy but his pride would not let him yield. "Do it," coughed out. Lee looked down at him and smiled, recognizing the determination in his foe's eyes.

Lee understood and, not wanting to be unyouthful by denying the boy an honorable loss, hit him once sending him into unconsciousness.

"Winner, Rock Lee."

Lee leaped up and looked to his idol moving into his "good guy" pose.

Maito Gai was overcome with emotion. Faster than most could see he appeared next to his student and grabbed his hands. "Oh Lee, my beautiful student, your fires of youth burn brightly."

Lee trembled as tears flowed down his cheeks. "Gai-sensei," he cried.

"Lee," Gai responded, with manly tears of pride.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

To the mounting horror of all assembled the two green clad shinobi embraced in a manly hug of youthfulness. Unable to look away, the image was burned into all who beheld them.

Up on the balcony, Naruto muttered, "What? I.. don't even. Kakashi-sensei?" The traumatized boy was finally able to break the spell and turned to see his teacher with his nose buried deep in his book.

"Hm, you say something?" Kakashi refused to look up, using his precious orange book to shield him from the ghastly sight he knew awaited him should he look up.

Sakura shook her head back and forth and murmured, "Must look away," over and over. Even Sasuke was affected, his eyebrow twitching violently. He thanked every kami in existence that Kakashi had taught him not to use his sharingan to copy fellow leaf-nin's jutsu. Had he not, the horrific sight would have been eternally etched into his mind with no hope of purging it short of a trip to the Yamanaka's. And even they would be leery of tangling with that kind of traumatic image.

Luckily for those still caught up in the sight, Hayate started coughing which was enough to catch the attention of the green duo. "Could you please clear the arena? The next fight is up."

With twin cries they leaped up to the balcony to join the rest of Team Gai, who took great pains to distance themselves from the strange pair.

All attention turned to the screen as the next two names appeared. "Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba."

"Hell yeah, lets do this Akamaru," yelled the exuberant dog-nin.

Naruto looked at his opponent, took a deep breath and slowly released it, letting his tension flow with it. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Kakashi smiling at him.

"You can do it Naruto," whispered Sakura. Naruto nodded and walked to the steps leading to the arena.

Before he had taken more than three steps, he felt a hand on his arm. Sasuke stood looking at him from the corner of his eye. "You better not lose, dobe. If anyone is going to beat you it had better be me."

Naruto smiled at his teammate's roundabout encouragement. "Believe it , teme. He won't know what hit him."

Naruto raced down to the arena, now resolved to win. Sasuke had won his fight and he had every confidence that Sakura would win hers. It was up to him to make sure he joined them for the next part of the exam.

The two combatants faced each other as Hayate stood between them. "Begin."

Kiba grinned cockily as he appraised Naruto. "You know you really should give up. Everybody knows you can't use jutsu. There is no way you can beat me and Akamaru."

Naruto glared. "Well everybody knows now bigmouth. Akamaru how do you put up with this jerk?"

"That's it," Kiba snarled. I was trying to do you a favor but since you're going to be a smartass about it then I'll just have to beat you down." Kiba turned to his partner, "Akamaru, you can sit this one out. I don't need any help. I'll beat him in one punch."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You are going to regret that Kiba. Don't underestimate me."

Kiba merely smirked as he formed a hand seal and called out, "Four Legs Technique." Kiba's body became shrouded in chakra even as his canines lengthened and his nails became claws. The now feral nin dropped to all fours as he braced himself and then launched forward towards Naruto with one arm cocked back.

Naruto seemed to collapse backward as Kiba reached him. As he rolled onto his back, he drew his legs up and planted his feet in the dog-nin's chest. Naruto uncoiled and forced his legs straight, adding the force to Kiba's momentum and sending him hurtling into the arena wall. Naruto continued the motion as he came up in a handstand then flipped smoothly to his feet.

Kiba got to his feet and angrily shook his head to clear it. He eyed Naruto warily but refused to change his thinking. So the idiot got in a lucky shot. There was no way the class clown and dead last had improved that much since the academy, especially with his new handicap. "Sasuke probably carried their whole team this far," he thought pettily.

Naruto realized that he could not match Kiba for long with his superior speed. "Damn it, I need to be faster. Whether or not I win this I need some more speed training," he thought. Naruto kept and eye on Kiba as he pulled a scroll from his belt. Kiba looked on indulgently, wondering what the boy was up to. Naruto surprised both Team's 8 and 10, when he unfurled the scroll and channeled chakra into a seal, releasing a bo staff. Farther down the balcony, a girl with twin buns in her hair watched with renewed interest.

Kiba spoke for all of them when he asked, "When the hell did you learn to do that?"

Naruto simply stated, "There is a lot about me you don't know."

Kiba growled as he dashed forward, intent on finishing his fight quickly. Naruto however, wielded his staff deftly enough to keep the feral boy out of striking range. Kiba's style was wild and agile with arcing slashes and short clawed strikes. Naruto simply used the greater reach of the staff to keep the slightly larger boy at bay.

Up on the balcony, the sensei of the rookie teams were impressed with the skill Naruto showed with his weapon.

"Not bad kid," murmured Asuma.

"Here I thought Kiba would have a much easier time with him," thought Kurenai.

Kakashi just smiled as he thought, "You would be proud sensei."

The Hokage watched with interest as Naruto defended himself. "I'm glad we spent so much time on his defensive training. Though I admit, it was fun to throw all those hard rubber balls at him. Call it payback for all the pranks over the years," snickered Sarutobi.

Kiba, meanwhile, was growing increasingly frustrated with his inability to hit the blond. He finally jumped back and snarled in exasperation. "Looks like I'm going to need your help after all Akamaru, " Kiba called to his ninken. Calming somewhat, he nodded to Naruto in respect, "I guess you have gotten better. It still won't save you though. Me and Akamaru have got this in the bag."

Kiba reached in his pocket then flicked something to his canine companion who quickly swallowed it. The small dog's fur turned red and he seemed to grow slightly. Kiba crouched down and called out his next jutsu as Akamaru jumped on his back. "Beast Human Clone." A burst of smoke surrounded the duo and then cleared to reveal twin dog-nin.

Naruto backed away and began to spin his staff, steadily increasing the speed until it emitted a low hum. He circled defensively, knowing they would try to come at him from opposite angles. Kiba and the now henged Akamaru blurred apart and, as predicted, came at him from opposite sides. Naruto stepped into the one attacking from his left and shot out one end of his staff to full extension, catching him right in the breadbasket, even as he rolled defensively to his right to avoid the clawed swipe from behind.

The Kiba he caught with the strike gasped for air as the other, who he assumed to be Akamaru by the growl, launched himself towards him. Naruto defended himself ably until the second Kiba joined in. He became hard pressed to ward off both of them, taking several slashes on his arms. Thankfully, his vest protected him from the bulk of the ones that hit his back and sides, though he still felt the sting of the blows.

Finally, his luck ran out as one Kiba caught his staff and yanked, while the other kicked him in the chest. Naruto's staff slipped from his grasp and the Kiba who held it tossed it to the side away from him. The now weaponless shinobi backpedaled furiously until he had opened some space between him and the two feral ninja.

Naruto panted from the exertion of his defense. This was not going as well as he had expected.

Kiba had finally had enough. He had fully intended to end this fight quickly but the stubborn bastard just refused to cooperate. Even worse, the blond made him look bad after he claimed he would beat him in one punch. The brash Inuzuka was tired of playing around. While he could respect the boy for coming this far, it was time to prove just who was top dog. Kiba nodded to his partner and they both took off. The feral boy yelled, "Take this, Double Piercing Fang!"

Both forms leaped into the air and began to rotate until they became twin drills that flew through the air. Naruto just narrowly avoided the attack but was unable to dodge the follow up as they rebounded and came back at him. Naruto felt like he was in a blender as he was sent spinning through the air then careening to the arena floor.

Kiba leered at his prone form. "I told you. This is the difference between our abilities. I win."

Naruto lurched drunkenly to his feet. His arms were covered in blood and his vest was torn and ragged. As he stared down his opponents a mad gleam entered in his eye that would have sparked a sense of foreboding in Kiba had he recognized it. Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out several smoke bombs. He threw them at his feet causing a thick cloud of smoke to envelope a third of the arena.

Kurenai looked on and shook her head. She had to admit, the boy had definitely raised her opinion of him during this battle. The skill and tenacity he had displayed was much more than she had ever given him credit for. Gone was the loudmouthed, incompetent prankster and in his place stood a proud, capable shinobi. Unfortunate for him this fight was over.

"This is it. He can't win now."

Sakura heard the red-eyed woman and bristled. "What do you mean, it's over?"

The woman gave the girl a look of pity as she explained. "Kiba is an Inuzuka. They are a clan of adept hunters and trackers. Kiba can focus chakra through his nose, increasing his sense of smell a thousand fold. As much as Naruto is bleeding, all he has done with that smoke is take away his ability to see Kiba coming. Kiba won't be hampered in the slightest."

Sakura looked worriedly at her friend but Sasuke just snorted. "It will take more than that to put the dobe down." Sakura turned back and yelled, "Kick his ass, Naruto!"

Kiba and Akamaru ran forward one last time, both leaping into their jutsu. "Double Piercing Fang." There was a moment of silence before three things happened. A black blur streaked from the smoke just as there was an explosion that blew away the obscuring cloud and two more bodies were sent hurtling through the air to crash to the ground.

Kiba, scorched and bleeding from the explosion, crawled over to Akamaru's still form. Once he was satisfied that his canine companion was only unconscious, he struggled to get to his feet. The boy was obviously disoriented with blood leaking from his ears. He immediately focused on Naruto who by this time had retrieved his staff. "You bastard, what did you do?" he demanded.

Everyone listened attentively, especially those who knew of the Inuzuka's exceptional sense of smell. Naruto barked out a harsh laugh. "Oh now you want to listen." All sense of amusement dropped from his face as he looked at the faces of those arrayed around the balcony before turning back to Kiba.

"I told you, do not underestimate me. One of the things I learned from Iruka-sensei while I was out was to know your allies and your enemies. He taught me all the currently known clans of the elemental kingdoms and their known abilities and strengths. One of which was the Inuzuka."

Most of the jounin sensei's nodded at the wisdom of that idea. It never hurt to be knowledgeable about potential friends and enemies.

"I know all about how your family is renowned as one of the best trackers in the village, right up there with the Aburame. I know the Inuzuka have a keen sense of smell. I was counting on it. I bet when you saw me use the smoke bombs you thought 'that idiot doesn't know that I can track his scent. He won't even see me coming. Am I right?"

Those who had heard Kurenai's explanation watched as she reddened in embarrassment.

Naruto continued, "That's exactly what I wanted you to think. While you were out here planning your victory party, I was in there wiping all the blood on my vest and stuffing it with explosive notes. As soon as I heard you running, I activated them and got out of the way. Since most of the blood was on my vest, that's where the strongest scent of blood came from and you followed it right into my trap."

Most of those watching were impressed with his ingenuity, but none more so than those who knew him in the academy. To be able to come up with a plan that fast and one that relied on injuries he had just received, showed an intuitive grasp of tactics that very few thought him capable of. For Kakashi, who had already seen flashes of it when they freed him from Zabuza's water prison, it was just confirmation of his suspicions. "He truly is your son, sensei," he thought.

Shikamaru was intrigued. He had never really considered it before but thinking back on it, some of Naruto's pranks really did require a certain amount of tactical planning. It was just hard to reconcile the image of an orange wearing loudmouth with that of a tactical mastermind.

Shino also was quickly revising his opinion of his former classmate. Logic dictated that if Naruto was capable of this kind of planning then maybe he had other hidden depths that no one had ever taken the time to notice. It was just so easy to overlook them because of the boys more obvious proclivities. This bore looking into.

Several of the females who watched were taking notice of something entirely different. Since Naruto took off his vest to set his trap, this left him in only his mesh under-armor. The Suna kunoichi and the bun-haired girl on Team Gai both eyed him appreciatively. Hinata and Ino in particular wore blushes as they saw what extended training for the Shadow Eel Style had done for the boy's physique. Hinata was on the verge of unconsciousness while Ino practically drooled over the boy.

"Mama like," she thought. Of course she then recalled exactly who this was she was checking out and nearly had a conniption fit. "Oh kami, not again. This is the second time. What would Sasuke-kun say?" Ino's eyes narrowed as she considered something else. "And why does Forehead Girl get two hotties when I get stuck with Lazy-ass and the Eating Machine."

Kiba could not believe his ears. When did Naruto get smart enough to trick him. Ok honestly, the guy had always been a little sneaky but he was a dufus. But now he was making him look like a chump and so far there was nothing he could do about it. Kiba hurt all over. He and Akamaru had been right there at the epicenter of the blast. It was all he could do to stand up right now, his ears were still ringing, and he had a massive headache. Inuzuka's never gave up though, so if Naruto wanted to win, he would have to put Kiba down first.

Naruto saw Kiba draw himself up and readied his staff. As bad of as Kiba was, Naruto was probably only still standing because of his accelerated healing. That was one of the reasons his plan even worked. With the fox's chakra healing his injuries, most of the bleeding had already stopped. So when Naruto wiped off his arms on the vest, it was the strongest source of his scent.

Naruto decided not to wait for Kiba to attack and struck out with his staff. Kiba put up a feeble defense that Naruto easily batted aside. Naruto knocked the boys arms out to the sides them jabbed the butt of his staff into his midsection. Kiba gasped in pain and grabbed his stomach, leaving himself wide open for Naruto's follow up strike to his temple. Just like that Kiba crumpled to the ground unconscious, leaving Naruto the victor.

Hayate stepped forward, announcing what everyone already knew. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

The Hokage looked on in pride as Naruto was assisted up the steps by Sasuke and a fretting Sakura. Sasuke glared as if daring anyone to make an issue of his deigning to help his exhausted teammate. Kakashi was just as proud at seeing how far they had come as a team. It was a long way from the loudmouth idiot, the shrieking fan-girl, and the brooding loner. Well maybe Sasuke still needed some work.

Hinata stood at the top of the stairs as Naruto was being helped by his team. When they reached the top, she shyly reached forward and offered a small jar to the him. "N-Naruto-kun, this is for you. I-It's some medical salve."

Naruto accepted the jar graciously. "Thank you, Hinata-chan."

Sakura saw this as her chance to help the girl out and have some fun in the process. "Naruto, why don't you see if Hinata would be willing to rub the salve in for you?"

Hinata's face turned bright red as she imagined herself rubbing down the object of her affection. True to form, the poor girl promptly fainted, a hint of blood leaking from her nose.

Naruto panicked. "Hey, Hinata are you alright? Sakura-chan, what happened?"

Sakura shook her head at her friend's obliviousness. "She'll be fine."

Kurenai smiled as she retrieved her student. At least the girl had worked up the courage to talk to the boy. Now she just had to get her to stop fainting.

Everyone turned as Hayate coughed. The screen flickered once more and two more names appeared. "Akamichi Choji and Tenten come to the arena."

The two competitors made their way down and faced off as Hayate called the match to start.

"Begin."

Tenten leaped back as Choji charged forward. Unfortunately for the husky genin, she was much faster than him. Choji gave up chase and threw a handful of shuriken at the spry girl. This was just what she had been waiting for.

Tenten drew two kunai with lightning speed and deflected the spinning projectiles. She then returned fire with a stream of kunai and shuriken that forced the boy father back. When she got him in position, she threw four more shuriken.

Choji laughed as they flew right past him. "Ha, you missed me. Now I'll show you the power of the pleasantly plump!"

Sadly, he never got the chance. Before he could bring his hands forward to form a hand sign, he felt the pull of the nearly invisible wires that were attached to the shuriken that suddenly spun back around to bind his hands at his sides. Choji was unable to react when Tenten appeared before him with a kunai to his throat.

Choji looked into the happily smiling face of his foe and did the only thing he could. "I give up."

Ino began berating the crestfallen boy as soon as he made it back up to them. "Choji, you fat-ass. That was pathetic she barely had to do anything!"

Shikamaru came to the defense of his long time friend. "Leave him alone Ino. Tch, troublesome woman."

Asuma just shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it Choji, you'll do better next time. How about I treat you to some barbeque when this is over."

Choji's mood improved instantly. "Thanks Asuma-sensei."

While this was going on, Tenten made her way over to Team 7. She stood in front of Naruto and smiled. "Hi, I'm Tenten. I don't know if you remember me but I'm on the team with Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji."

Naruto frowned for a second before exclaiming, "Yeah I remember. You were there when Bushy Brows… I mean Lee, kicked Sasuke's butt." Hearing this the Uchiha grimaced at the unpleasant memory.

"Yeah," the girl replied. "Anyway, I see that you use a bo staff. Your technique isn't bad but it could use some work. I train in weapons as well. If you ever want to spar or train together, why don't you look me up? Here is my address. It's always nice to meet a fellow weapon user." The young kunoichi smiled as she walked back over to join her team.

In the meantime the next two fighters had been called to the floor. Hyuuga Hinata stood before her cousin, Hyuuga Neji. Naruto looked on, wondering what it would be like to have a family, someone to train with, to fight with, and grow stronger with. He sighed wistfully before slapping his cheeks. "Damn it, if I keep this up I'll be as moody as the teme," he thought. Naruto smiled as he imagined the people he cared about as his family. The Sandaime would be his kindly old grandfather, Iruka and Kakashi would be the older brothers he learned from. Sasuke would be his brother who he constantly fought with but who he would defend with his life. Sakura, well if he could not have her a girlfriend, then having a sister would be nice.

Naruto's fanciful thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he heard the things that Neji said to Hinata. What the hell? That is not how you treated family! You cared for your family not tried to tear them down. What was wrong with this jerk? Couldn't he see how much his words hurt the girl? "That's enough of that shit," he growled.

"Hey screw you, bastard! Stop deciding things about people." When Hinata looked up at his disturbance he looked her right in the eyes. "Kick this bastard's ass Hinata-chan! You can do it! Stand up for yourself and show this arrogant jerk who's boss."

Hinata stared in wonder. All the little Hyuuga girl had ever wanted was to be acknowledged; by her clan, her father, but most especially by the person she looked up to and admired most, Naruto. Even after a crippling injury, he refused to give up and had even managed to beat Kiba without the aid of any jutsu. Hinata faced her cousin with a determined glare. "Thank you Naruto-kun," she silently replied.

Neji frowned, sure that the weakling would have buckled by now. It had to have been that blond boy. "So you refuse to yield. I will not be held responsible for what happens," he stated.

Naruto watched as the cousins blurred into a furious taijutsu battle. At first, it seemed that Hinata had the upper hand. Naruto and Sakura cheered her on as she relentlessly used the Hyuuga Gentle Fist taijutsu style against her kin. But during one particular exchange, Neji struck her in the chest causing her to spit up blood. He then followed up with a blow that laid her on her back.

Naruto raged inside as the pretentious asshole lectured the poor girl about how she was a loser and should give up. What happened next caused a swell of pride in his chest as Hinata spoke words that resonated deeply within him.

"I will not quit. I don't go back on my word," she said as she looked up at the object of her affection. "That is my nindo."

Naruto whispered, "I never knew she was this incredible."

Sakura heard him and made a decision. "She always watched you, you know." Sakura sighed at Naruto's confused look. "Ever since we were in the academy she has watched you. She told me that she looks up to you and that someday she hopes that you acknowledge her."

Naruto contemplated what Sakura told him as the match continued. There was shock as Neji stated that Hinata's strikes had no effect. He then proceeded to beat the battered girl to the ground, finally felling her with another strike to the chest. Just as Hayate started to call the match, Naruto cried out, "Don't stop it!"

Many of those assembled looked at him as if he were mad, but the boy stood his ground. He felt vindicated when Hinata staggered to her feet, a soft smile on her face.

Neji was indignant. "It is over, acting tough is useless. From the time of your birth, the responsibility of the Hyuuga main house has been thrust upon your weak shoulders. You have always hated yourself for your weakness but people cannot change their destiny. Let it go, there is no need for further suffering," he coldly stated.

Hinata gave him a look of pity as she replied. "That's not true, Neji-neesan. I can see that it isn't me at all because the one lost and suffering within the destiny of the main and branch houses is you."

Seeing the look of pity and hearing those words stabbed through Neji. Who was this, this pitiful simpering coward to look down on him. Enraged, he rushed his cousin, intent on finishing this once and for all. He never heard the cries of the proctor that the match was over, he never stopped to consider the consequences of his actions. All that mattered was seeing the look on her face as he showed her the reality of the situation. He was strong and she was weak, fate had spoken and nothing would change that.

He was so blinded by his anger that even when four jounin held him from connecting with his strike, he strained forward.

"Neji control yourself," Gai shouted. "You gave me your word not to lose your head over this main family stuff."

Neji relaxed and regained his composure. His mask of indifference once more in place, he simply replied, "Even the other jounin jump in, such is the special treatment for the main family."

It was during this time that Hinata fell to her knees clutching her chest. Naruto rocketed off the balcony to her side as she gasped in pain, joined by Kurenai a second later. Naruto called to her as her eyes slowly shut.

Naruto fretted over the girl but paused when he heard Neji speak. "Hey loser, let me tell you two things. If you would be a shinobi, then cut out the pointless cheering of others. More importantly, a loser is always a loser. They can not change."

It took every ounce of Naruto's will not to claw the smirk off of the bastards face. He turned as the medic rushed over to the young girl's prone form. Naruto made a decision. He walked over to a pool of blood cough up by Hinata, catching the attention of several onlookers. He knelt purposefully and swiped his hand through the spilled blood. Standing he let the blood drip from his outstretched hand. Naruto felt his anger flare up and as he faced Neji and for a brief instant his eyes seemed to glow with an inner light.

"Family," he intoned, "is supposed to look out for one another. What you just did…" he choked off, trembling as he strived to maintain control. "Hyuuga Neji, by the blood that drips from my hand, that you spilled, I vow to show you the error of your ways." Naruto gave to scoffing Hyuuga a look of unrestrained malice. "You are going down. This I promise. That is MY nindo."

**A/N: **How was that? I hope you liked the different take on the preliminaries. Did you enjoy Naruto's match against Kiba. You have seen the first inkling of another side effect of the demonic chakra constantly flowing through Naruto. Can anyone guess what it is? Please review and tell me what you think. The preliminaries continue and we get to the one-month training period in the next chapter. Until then, see you around.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Hey, I'm back again. I apologize for the long delay, but these last few months have been hectic. The culmination, of course being my thirtieth birthday. So to make up for the long wait, I'm going to reveal Naruto's love interest for this fic. Apparently, many of you really wanted to know so here it is. Naruto will be paired up with Yamanaka Ino.

Now before some of you blow a gasket, please just read the story and see how the relationship develops. I know many people are fans of Hinata or Sakura but there are already thousands of stories with those pairings. Besides, I feel that neither of them would be a good match for the type of character Naruto will become. I'm sorry if this disappoints you and I hope you won't let it interfere with your enjoyment of the story. Anyway, on with the show.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 9

Many of those assembled gave Naruto strange looks. The sand trio could not understand why he cared so much. Teams 8 and 10 wondered as well since they didn't think he knew Hinata that well. Team Gai did not know what to think. The only ones who truly understood were the Hokage and Team 7. They all knew Naruto was an orphan who valued friends and family before everything else. However, of all of them, it was Sasuke who most understood what the boy felt.

Naruto never had a family so it was what he yearned for most. Sasuke's family was slaughtered by his older brother so he could empathize. For one family member to try to kill another dredged up feelings neither boy cared to experience. When Naruto made it back to the balcony, Sasuke in a rare show of support, clasped him on the shoulder and nodded as if to say 'I understand'.

Back on the floor, Hayate called for next combatants. "Sabaku no Temari and Tsuchi Kin, you're up."

As the girl from Suna turned to head down the strange redhead called to her. "Don't lose like that fool Kankuro." Temari nodded as Kankuro muttered to himself. The muttering quickly stopped when he saw his brother glaring at him.

Temari made her way to the battlefield. When she arrived, Kin smirked at her. "You won't even touch me with that oversized club."

Temari smiled. This wouldn't be the first time someone had underestimated her. She would show this wench just what a Suna kunoichi could do.

Hayate coughed as he called, "Ready? Fight!"

Both kunoichi leaped back. This surprised Kin who assumed the girl from Sand was a close range fighter. She watched as the blonde pulled the club from her back and held it ready. "It does not matter," she thought. "Once I send out my bells it will be all over." Kin drew several senbon needles and threw them towards Temari.

Her confidence dropped when Temari opened the 'club' into a giant fan and swung it at the approaching needles. A large gust of wind flew from the fan and scattered the lightweight projectiles back towards Kin. Before the startled girl could react, Temari waved her fan and called out, "Kamaitachi!" The winds collided around Kin forming a tornado that lifted her up. The poor girl was held helplessly in midair as invisible blades of wind sliced into her.

Temari ran forward and cocked back her now closed fan. She reached Kin just as the tornado dissipated and she plummeted to the ground. Before she hit it, however, Temari swung the heavy fan and slammed it into her, sending her tumbling away. Everyone watched as Kin coughed up blood as she struggled to rise.

"I thought I wouldn't touch you with my club," Temari taunted. When the girl refused to answer Temari mocked, "That's what I thought," and slammed the folded metal fan down on the prone girls back. Kin screamed out once before she collapsed unconscious.

Hayate quickly stepped in to stop the fight. "The winner is Sabaku no Temari."

Temari returned to her brother in time to hear Kankuro mutter, "I could have won too if I had used more of Crow's abilities." She just shook her head. They had more important things to worry about. The fighting and minor bloodshed had slowly begun to affect her youngest brother. She could tell by his intense stare and the minute amounts of killing intent he was leaking.

Luckily, their sensei had noticed and whispered to the young jinchuuriki. "Gaara calm down. Your turn will come soon enough."

Gaara glared at the man. "Don't tell me what to do. Mother thirst for blood," Baki backed off as Gaara muttered to himself. "Soon mother, soon."

In the meantime, the screens had already flashed, announcing the next match. "For the next round would Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura report to the field."

Sakura squared her shoulders as she marched down. She smiled as Naruto called out his praise and faith in her. She reached the floor and faced off against Ino.

Ino grinned, "Sakura, it looks like this is a battle of love for Sasuke-kun's heart."

Sakura looked over at the bloodstains left behind by the previous fighters and shook her head. "No Ino, I have no intention of fighting over Sasuke-kun with you. It's time we grow up and I prove just how much stronger than you I really am."

Ino was shocked. She was sure that Sakura would jump to prove herself closer to Sasuke. Something had changed between them and Ino was not sure she would like it. "Who do you think you are talking to, Forehead Girl? Don't get ahead of yourself."

Sakura pulled her forehead protector from its place on top of her head and tied it on her forehead. "Do you remember what I told you, Ino? When I put this on my forehead is the time I refuse to lose to you as a kunoichi."

Ino stared at the serious face of her rival. She solemnly removed her forehead protector from her waist and tied it in its proper place. The two faced each other in a battle that had been building since their time in the academy. Both Team 7 and Team 10 watched to see who would emerge the victor.

As soon as Hayate called for the match to start, both girls shot forward. Ino threw a punch as they closed but Sakura ducked and hit her in the mouth with an uppercut. Ino staggered back, checking her lip for blood. Sakura stood and watched her before telling her, "You better take me seriously, Ino. If you treat me like the same crybaby I used to be, I will hurt you."

Ino smiled as she replied, "I'm glad you said that. You got your wish, here I come." Ino ran forward once more. This time she lashed out with a side kick that Sakura only barely dodged. Ino went on the offensive with a series of jabs with some kicks thrown in. Sakura was able to block the punches but two of the kicks got through. She responded with a feinted right at Ino's face that caused the girl to dodge into the left hook that took her in the side.

Sakura capitalized with a right to the jaw and a follow up knee to the gut. Ino backpedaled and drew two shuriken, throwing them at her pink-haired rival. Sakura threw two of her own. The projectiles collided in the air distracting Ino for a crucial moment.

Ino looked to see Sakura finish a set of hand seals. There was a perceptible waver as a grove of sakura trees blurred into existence. Ino scoffed, "The genjutsu is a surprise, but do you really think you're going to beat me with that sloppy illusion? You would have done better using the Clone Technique; at least you were decent at that. Now who's not taking this seriously?"

Ino flared her chakra dispelling the illusion and revealing a startled Sakura. Catching the girl flatfooted, Ino lashed out with a roundhouse kick to her stomach. Sakura staggered back and fell to her knees.

Sakura began another series of hand seals but Ino formed two quick seals and hollered, "Oh no you don't! Mind Body Transfer Technique."

Ino instantly knew something was wrong. The familiar pull of her mind releasing from her body never came and she could only watch in horror as Sakura began to go into convulsions. Ino raced forward to catch the seizing girl when she collapsed. Ino screamed when she saw blood flowing from Sakura's eyes, nose and ears.

"No, I didn't mean to. Sakura, I'm sorry. Please somebody help her," Ino wailed. Ino's crying was interrupted when she heard a whispered, "I'm sorry Ino-chan but it's time to grow up," just before she was knocked unconscious.

Sakura stood over the prone form of her rival as Hayate declared her the winner. Naruto looked around confused and asked, "What happened?"

It was Kurenai who answered, "That girl is truly gifted Kakashi. She layered together two genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings and Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. That is not something most beginners are capable of doing. When Ino flared her chakra, she only dispelled the False Surroundings Technique. While Ino was trapped in the second illusion, she simply knocked her out."

Naruto smiled, even though he could not perceive the genjutsu, he knew how hard Sakura worked to perfect them and if a genjutsu master like Kurenai was impressed then it had to be good.

Team 7 congratulated Sakura on her win. Sakura just gave them a wistful smile. While she was happy for her win, she could not help but feel guilty about putting Ino through that kind of grief. She remembered how she felt when Kakashi did it to her and it was awful. She would make it up to her later.

The screen flickered before revealing the next pair of fighters. "Nara Shikamaru and Kinuta Dosu come to the battlefield," Hayate called.

Up on the balcony, Shikamaru gave a sigh of exasperation and resignation. "So it's my turn, eh?"

The lazy genin ambled down the stairs as if were headed to a death sentence. Dosu, who had eagerly jumped down could only glare as Shikamaru took his sweet time.

When Shikamaru finally made it down, Hayate coughed as Dosu muttered, "About damned time."

The special jounin shook his head as he called out, "Fight!"

"You act as if I'm boring you," Dosu growled. "I feel as if I'm being taken lightly, so I will skip the playing and finish you quickly." The sound genin pulled back the wide sleeve covering his right arm, revealing a metal gauntlet.

Shikamaru leaped back as Dosu ran forward swinging his arm. Dosu managed to close in but when he swung, he was still unable to connect. So Choji was surprised when Shikamaru stumbled backwards disoriented and clutching his head. "Come on Shikamaru," the portly boy yelled as he nervously munched on his chips.

Shikamaru leaped away to gain distance but Dosu just kept coming. The young Nara threw a steady stream of shuriken to discourage further pursuit. Shikamaru's mind raced as he recalled everything he had observed bout the bandage-faced nin. It was then that he remembered the confrontation between him and that older genin, Kabuto. He came to the realization of how Dosu's ability worked just as the other boy went on the attack.

Dosu ran forward to finish his fight. He still bore the sting to his pride at his team's loss to Team 7. Add to that Kin's loss to the girl from Suna and it was up to him and Zaku to redeem them. Just as he readied himself to attack, he saw the Nara kid do some handsigns and a section of his shadow shot forward. Dosu quickly backpedaled, not having seen what the shadow was capable of he decided not to take any chances.

Making sure he noted the range of the attack, he addressed the Konoha genin. "You didn't actually think you would get me with that did you?" he taunted.

"Tch, It would have been less troublesome if I had," Shikamaru retorted.

By this time, Ino had recovered and decided to take her mind off her loss by badgering her teammate. "Come on Shika, are you going to let this mummy-faced goon beat you? I swear if you lose I'll make it my mission in life to find all of your cloud watching spots and tell your mom where they are!"

Shikamaru wince at that proclamation. Dealing with Ino was bad enough but if his mother knew where to find him… he shuddered at the thought. So with an exasperated sigh and a mumbled, "Troublesome blond wench," Shikamaru decided to end it.

The young Nara pulled two kunai from his pouch and flung them towards his foe. Dosu started to simply dodge to the side but quickly leaped backwards when he noted the slips of paper tied to the handles. Just when he was beginning to wonder why the explosive tags had not gone off he heard, "Shadow Imitation Technique, success."

Dosu blanched when he looked down to see a line of shadow stretching from the Nara to the kunai and then to his own. "What, I can't move. How?" he demanded.

Shikamaru grinned. "You were so busy jumping away from those fake explosive notes that you didn't notice my shadow technique."

"So now what?" By now, Dosu had noticed that whenever Shikamaru moved his body moved to mirror him. "From what I can see of this technique, I do whatever you do. So anything you try, you're going to have to do to yourself."

Shikamaru put on a bored expression. "True, but luckily for me, I'm not wearing a big metal gauntlet." Dosu's eyes widened when Shikamaru bent his head forward and brought his right forearm crashing down on the back of his own head. The blow was hard enough that when they checked the unconscious Dosu, they saw that that his gauntlet was dented.

"Winner, Nara Shikamaru," Hayate proclaimed.

Shikamaru walked up the stairs rubbing the back of his head. He had tried to time the blow so that he would take as light of a hit as possible but it still hurt. Of course, Ino only made it worse with all of her yelling about his victory. "Loudmouthed woman," he muttered.

Back on the floor, Hayate called for the next fighters. "For the final round of the preliminaries would Abumi Zaku and Sabaku no Gaara come to the floor."

Zaku strutted down to the floor while Gaara appeared in a swirl of sand. The two sized each other up. Zaku smirked while Gaara merely dismissed him. This angered the prideful teen.

The little punk was looking at him as if he was nothing! Zaku's bandaged hands twitched. Although the medics in the tower had managed to heal the worst of the damage, he still suffered painful burns from his fight in the forest. Zaku fervently wished he had been pitted against the Uchiha for this match but since he was not, he would just have to take it out on the arrogant shrimp in front of him.

"Don't look down on me," he seethed. "Even with these injuries, I'm still more than capable of finishing a little punk like you." Gaara continued to look unimpressed.

On the balcony, Temari shook her head as Kankuro snickered cruelly. This idiot was going to piss off Gaara and get himself killed.

Zaku had about as much as he could take of the Suna kid's attitude. He smiled as he lifted his arms to perform his signature technique. "Decapitating Air Waves," he exclaimed. Twin burst of supersonic air shot from his hands towards Gaara. There was an explosion that threw clouds of dust into the air obscuring the red-headed genin. As the dust cleared, Gaara was revealed standing confidently behind a wall of sand.

"If this is the best you can do then you are not worth my time," came Gaara's dispassionate reply.

Zaku was incensed. He was getting really tired of these punk wanna-be ninja disrespecting him. So with no thought to the spectators on the balcony, he unleashed his greatest attack. "Extreme Decapitating Air Waves," he yelled. There was a massive burst of chakra infused wind that devastated everything in its path. Luckily, the jounin had shunshined with their students to the other balcony.

Everyone saw the damage to the arena. The floor and wall were full of gashes and the balcony was shredded. Gaara erected a sand wall but it was blasted apart with piles of sand scattered around the arena. Gaara had been slammed into the wall, his body littered with gapping cuts. Zaku was all set to celebrate his win, when Gaara dissolved into a pile of sand.

"Wha…," was all he was able to get out before the sand suddenly flew towards him. Caught completely off guard, he was swiftly encased in a prison of sand.

"Desert Coffin," Gaara softly intoned. Everyone looked to see him standing off to the side with a pile of sand half covering his body.

"You little twerp, when I get out of here I'm going to wipe you off the face of the earth," Zaku howled.

"You are not fit to prove my existence. I will finish this. Desert Funeral." There was a choked cry and blood gushed from the sand. Several of the rookies were shocked at the senseless brutality of the attack. The sands receded leaving behind the mangled body of Zaku.

Hayate stepped forward and with an impassivity that hid his distaste declared, "Winner of the final match, Sabaku no Gaara. With this the preliminary round of the third test has been completed."

The genin all stood straighter at the pronouncement. At Hayate's behest, they all assembled before the stage. Before them stood all three exam proctors and the Hokage.

"Congratulations to all of you that have passed." Hayate turned to the elderly man. "Hokage-sama if you would?"

The Hokage stepped forth and smiled down at the finalist. These were the most promising of the many that entered. "Now I will explain the main test. The final match will be an elimination tournament. Each of you will face one of the others in a single match with the winner moving on to the next round. This will be your chance to showcase your skills and represent the strength of your villages.

You will be fighting in front of important dignitaries from your countries. That is why the finals will take place in one month. This break will be for preparations."

"What do you mean?" asked Neji.

"In addition to notifying the various country lords and shinobi leaders, we will use this time for the arrangement of the event. This also gives you time to prepare for your matches. Use what you have learned to formulate battle strategies," the Fire Shadow explained. "Up until now your fights have been based on combat simulations where you meet an unknown opponent. In the final match, to make everything fair, you will have time to advance and improve yourselves. You will also have time to rest and recuperate. Now, before I can dismiss you there is one last thing to do."

The Hokage nodded to Anko who stepped forward carrying a box. "Alright each of you come up and draw a number. Only take one." One by one, they came and pulled a number, with Ibiki noting which they pulled and marking it down on a clipboard.

After everyone had pulled a number, the two jounin consulted with the Hokage. When they were done, Sarutobi turned to address the finalist. "I will now reveal the tournament roster,"

There were several gasp and Shikamaru yelled, "That's what we were drawing for?"

"Now Ibiki will show you the lineup for the finals."

Ibiki held up the clipboard to show their names arranged in brackets. "The fights will be Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru vs. Haruno Sakura, Sabaku no Gaara vs. Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke vs. Sabaku no Temari, and Tenten vs. Aburame Shino."

The genin looked around at their opponents. Naruto in particular was satisfied with his match. He glared at Neji and reaffirmed his vow to make the stuck-up bastard pay.

"You are now dismissed. Use this time wisely," the Hokage advised.

While this was going on Maito Gai joined Kakashi on the stairs. "So my eternal rival, it seems both of our teams have advanced to the finals," the boisterous jounin exclaimed.

"Hm, you say something?" Kakashi drawled.

"Damn your hip attitude," Gai yelled. Pointing at the silver haired shinobi, he grinned. "I challenge you Kakashi. Why don't we see who is the better teacher. If more of my students win, then your team must join mine for our most youthful morning training."

Kakashi thought for a minute. "Ok, and if mine win then you have to stand in line and buy me the next three Icha Icha novels as soon as they go on sale." Kakashi smiled as Gai blustered about unyouthful literature.

When he finished his rant, he turned back to his friend. "Very well Kakashi you have a deal."

By this time the genin were being dismissed by the Hokage. Kakashi joined his team as they filed out of the arena. "I'm very proud of you all. Meet me at the training ground at eight tomorrow morning to discuss your training."

* * *

Later that day Kakashi made his way to the Hokage tower. He had been thinking about the training regimens for his students and had already made a few plans when he was summoned to appear before the Hokage. When he entered the office, he noticed three other people there with Sarutobi. Kakashi bowed before the Hokage and greeted the others.

"Ah Kakashi, good you're here. You know Ibiki and I'm sure you remember Jiraiya. Now let me introduce the man who is responsible for Naruto's taijutsu. I would like you to meet Fuurinji Akisame."

Kakashi nodded to the man after greeting his colleagues. "It is good to finally meet you Fuurinji-san. Thank you for taking care of my student. You have done wonders for his taijutsu."

Akisame laughed. "No need to thank me, Kakashi-san. Teaching young Naruto-chan was a pleasure. All it takes is a bit of attention and the boy will give it his all to learn."

Kakashi felt a tug at his heart upon hearing this. He still blamed himself for Naruto's accident, and the knowledge that a little bit of care on his part may have easily corrected Naruto's defficiencies ate at him.

Sarutobi, with his usual perceptiveness, saw this and interrupted, "Yes well, now that introductions are out of the way, on to the reason for this meeting." All three men focused on the Fire Lord. "Kakashi, I know you were briefed on the events that took place in the Forest of Death. However, you need to be brought up to date on things as they stand." The Hokage gathered his thoughts as he lit his pipe. "After talking to Anko about the events in the forest we came to the conclusion that Orochimaru wants the sharingan. We believe that is why he attacked Team 7 during the exam, possibly as some sort of test for Sasuke. This puts us in an awkward situation.

We can not cancel the exams. Leaving aside the issue of Orochimaru's threat, we can not afford to appear weak and if it gets out that we canceled because someone dared to attack the village then we will be at risk."

Hiruzen took a drag on his pipe before continuing. "As to how this concerns you, well, we understand that all three members of Team 7 have reached the finals. Congratulations by the way. It has been many years since an entire team has made it that far. It is a testament to the work you and Gai have done to get them this far. Be that as it may, we feel that having to train all three as well as protect Sasuke from any attempts by Orochimaru would be too much to handle."

Hiruzen noticed the minute tightening around Kakashi's visible eye. He understood, it was not often he had cause to question the copy-nin's ability and it had to have irked the man to hear it. Luckily, Jiraiya stepped in. "We're not questioning your competence, Kakashi. However, Orochimaru would not hesitate to use your students against you. As good as you are, even you could not protect all three from that bastard and whoever he brought with him." Kakashi's shoulders slumped in defeat. He knew they were right.

Akisame spoke up. "Excuse me Hokage-sama, but may I?" When Sarutobi nodded his assent, Akisame addressed Kakashi. "Kakashi-san I would like this opportunity to finish Naruto-chan's training. While he has the basics down there is still more he has to learn. I think that now would be a good time for me to complete his training. He is, after all, your student and this may be the last chance for me to pass on the style. I would consider it a personnal favor if you would agree."

Kakashi sighed, "I guess that would be the best. Will you be teaching him anything else?"

Akisame shook his head, "No but that is where Jiraiya-sama comes in."

Kakashi looked at the Toad Sage questioningly. Everyone knew that since the Fourth died, Jiraiya had refused to teach anyone.

Jiraiya simply shrugged. "Yeah well, he's a good kid and I heard he's been learning fuinjutsu and until Oro-teme makes his move, I have nothing better to do. Who better to teach the gaki?"

Kakashi nodded but was not fooled by his nonchalance. He knew how close Jiraiya was to Minato, and knowing the truth of Naruto's parentage, understood that there was more to it. "What about Sakura? Should I train her or do you have something else in mind?"

Ibiki stepped forward. "Actually Hatake, if you don't mind, I think I'll train the girl."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. Ibiki was not known for training anyone outside of recruits for the Torture and Interrigation Force. That thought startled the jounin. "Ibiki you don't mean…"

Ibiki smiled with a hint of cruelty. "Slow down Kakashi, I'm not trying to recruit your student… yet. I will admitt that she did impress me with how she took down Inoichi's little girl and she did manage to answer all the questions on my test without cheating, but she's a bit too young for my line of work. No, while I see potential, I think I'll hold off for a few years."

Kakashi sighed quietly in relief. He did respect Ibiki for what he did for the village and it was a necessary evil but he did not like the idea of one of his students taking up that kind of position. "So why are you offering to train her?"

"Three reasons," Ibiki replied. "One, you're being asked to leave behind two of your students to focus on one and, considering Uzumaki's accident and how you stress teamwork, that has to be bothering you. I understand and respect that you are doing this for the village and I don't mind helping you out.

Two, it gives me time to question her about Orochimaru's attack outside of an official investigation. I've asked Jiraiya-sama to do the same with Naruto. A more relaxed setting should help them be more open without the pressure of an official interview.

Finally, three, I think there are some things I can help her with that you might not consider. As good as you were in black ops, you are primarily a combat specialist and your teaching reflects that. Haruno is a very cerebral girl and I can show her more indirect ways to take down an opponent."

Kakashi nodded. "I suppose you do have a point. Just don't corrupt her too much, no offense but you are a sadist."

Ibiki laughed. "None taken. I do what I do so others don't have too. It just so happens that I enjoy my work. We should all be so lucky.

Sarutobi saw this as a good time to interject. "Very well gentlemen, I will leave you to work out the details. Kakashi, tomorrow you will inform your students and have Sakura and Naruto report for training. You are dismissed."

The four filed out after agreeing to meet at a bar to iron out the details.

* * *

The next day found the genin of Team 7 waiting at the bridge that led to their usual training ground. Sasuke stood by the rail silently listening to Naruto and Sakura prattle on about what they might be learning. When Kakashi finally appeared in his usual puff of smoke, they were all eager to get started.

Kakashi looked at their eager faces and shook his head. While he understood the reasons for what he had to do, he still did not like it. "Follow me," he ordered them.

The three genin were curious about Kakashi's subdued attitude. They had not seen this side of his since just after Naruto's accident. When they reached their spot by the three posts, the jounin had them sit.

Kakashi didn't know how to start, so he decided to just talk to them as adults. "I know I said that today we would be discussing your training, and we will. However, there have been some… changes as to how you three will be trained.

Naruto, Sakura, I will not be training you two." Kakashi saw the hurt, disbelief on their faces and hurried to explain. "It's not that I don't want to train you, believe me, nothing would make me prouder. Unfortunately, because of what happened during thre second exam, there have been some concerns as to your safety."

Naruto interjected. "What do you mean sensei? Is this because of that Orochimaru guy?"

Kakashi nodded. "You have to understand, Naruto. We believe that Orochimaru is after the sharingan. Because of that, there is a fear that if he attacks while I'm training you three, I won't be able to protect all three of you. As much as I hate to admitt it, it's true." Kakashi hung his head at that admission.

"Remember the fight with Zabuza? Orochimaru is much stronger. What you saw during the exams is nothing compared to what he is capable of, and that's if he comes alone. So it was decided that I would train Sasuke in a secret location and you two would be trained by someone else."

Naruto and Sakura looked dejected while Sasuke turned his head in shame. This was all because of him, because of his weakness. Sasuke clenched his fist. He needed to be stronger. Strong enough to kill his brother, strong enough to protect himself, and strong enough to protect his friends.

Kakashi raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Mah mah, don't look so down. I promise, you two will learn just as much from them as you would from me; possibly more."

Naruto frowned. "So who will it be sensei? Who's going to train us?"

"That would be us," came a boisterous laugh. The genin turned to see three men standing behind them.

"Akisame-sensei," Naruto shouted. The former nin smiled indulgently. The boy looked much more natural with a smile on his face.

"That's right Naruto. Jiraiya-sama and I will handle your training and Ibiki-san will be training Sakura-san." Sakura's eyes grew wide at that bit of knowledge. Everyone knew of Jiraiya the Toad Sage, one of the Legendary Sannin. She then remembered the sadistic man from the exams and shuddered at the thought of what he might do to her in the name of 'training'.

As the new arrivals made themselves comfortable, Kakashi asked, "Do you have any questions?"

Sakura eyed Ibiki nervously and asked, "Ano, what will we be learning exactly?"

Seeing the look on her face, Ibiki chuckled as he answered. "We will not go into specifics, since you may face each other, but we will be trying to further your strengths, minimize your weaknesses and give you effective techniques and strategies for use in battle."

The three genin nodded their heads, thinking of what they felt they needed to work on.

"Why does Naruto get two teachers," Sasuke wondered.

Jiraiya stepped forward. "I guess I'll take this one. You see, Naruto is a special case. Because of the limitations on what he can use, it was decided that Akisame-san would continue his taijutsu training. Unfortunately, as skilled as Akisame-san is, he has never studied fuinjutsu."

Akisame gave an apologetic shrug. "Yes, regrettably, I never bothered to study that particular branch of the ninja arts."

Jiraiya laughed, "Few do. The study and dangers involved put off most ninja from learning more than the basics." Turning to address Naruto, he winked. "Lucky for you, gaki, you get to learn from the best."

Kakashi decided to wrap things up. "Naruto, you will meet Akisame-san at his home tomorrow at seven. After that, you will meet Jiraiya-sama at the hot springs at one.

Sakura, you will meet Ibiki at eight outside the Hokage tower. Sasuke, I will pick you up at six in the morning. Pack for several weeks and be ready to go. You three have the rest of the day off. Relax and enjoy yourselves because this will be your last chance for a while. Dismissed."

* * *

Sasuke was waiting outside of the Uchiha district for Kakashi when the jounin arrived precisely at six. After a brief greeting, Sasuke hefted his pack and dutifully followed his teacher out of the village. They traveled in silence as Kakashi went over his ideas for training one last time and Sasuke brooded over his perceived weakness. After more than half an hour of complete silence, Kakashi decided to straighten his pupil out.

"It's not your fault, you know." Sasuke glanced over to see the man staring at him intently. "It could just as easily been someone else Orochimaru was after. It just so happened to be you. That the three of you survived with minimal injury is a minor miracle."

Sasuke turned away, and through clenched teeth, he seethed, "But it was me. Because of my weakness, you're being forced to baby-sit me instead of training all of us for the finals." Sasuke snarled in frustration. "I should be stronger than this. I'll never be able to kill him at this rate."

Kakashi sighed in exasperation. "You've been sleeping in your old house again, haven't you?"

Sasuke whirled around and glared incredulously at him. "Have you been spying on me?" he demanded.

Kakashi smiled impudently, "I keep tabs on all of my genin." His face once more became serious as he continued. "I had thought you were past this. Maybe more 'emotional training' is in order." Kakashi stroked his chin in thought.

Sasuke shuddered at the memory of the beatings his teacher considered training. He quickly shook it off as he remembered why he did it. "I was starting to get distracted. I was forgetting why I need to get stronger. If I'm going to…"

"Give it a rest Sasuke," Kakashi interrupted. "I know, alright. I have known of your ambition from the beginning. I know what it's like to loose the last of your family, to devote yourself to a goal to the exclusion of all else and I'm telling you from personal experience that it's not worth it. The price is too high, but you don't ever realize it until it's too late."

Sasuke rarely ever looked past his own pain to see the pain of others. In fact, the last time he had was years ago. Ironically, it was his teammate Naruto. That time on the dock when he looked up to see the understanding in the blond's eyes, that shared pain of loneliness. That was the basis for the friendship and grudging respect he held for him, although he would die before he ever said that aloud.

Once again, Sasuke looked past himself and what he saw in his sensei's eyes shocked him. The man had originally been a bit aloof with a playful nonchalance. After Naruto's injury, he became a grueling taskmaster. This was the first time, however, that Hatake Kakashi had intentionally let someone see the real him in a long time. In his eyes, Sasuke saw grief, pain, and a deep-seated guilt that was almost more than he could bear. He was so shocked that he stopped in his tracks.

Kakashi saw his chance to finally get through to the boy. "Sasuke, there is much that I can teach you, but if you only learn one thing, please, learn from my mistakes. I am not saying to completely give up on your vengeance, just don't do it at the cost of everything else. Think about it." With that, the copy-nin continued on, leaving his pupil to follow in his wake thinking hard on his words.

* * *

Naruto was at Akisame's door at exactly seven the next morning. Akisame opened the door to see the bright, smiling face of his eager student.

"Good morning, Naruto-chan. Have you eaten?"

"Hai, sensei," he replied. "I wanted to be able to start as soon as possible. So what will we be working on?" Naruto was on a mission. He had been lucky enough to draw that asshole Hyuuga for his first match and he fully intended to make good on the promise he made that day.

For his part, Akisame had heard about what happened, and while he did not necessarily agree with Naruto's menthods, he could not fault his feelings on the matter. "Well, Naru-chan, you will be learning the final four katas for Shadow Eel as well as learning the most important element in the style, the Shadow Dance."

Naruto's eyes grew big. The Shadow Dance sounded like the kind of cool technique he would have begged to learn before his accident. "When can we start?"

Akisame's face grew serious. "You are too excited. First, meditate to calm yourself. Once you are centered we can begin."

Sakura waited nervously for the head of the T&I Force outside of the tower. She still had no idea of what to expect from the man and it made her antsy. This worked out for her since she was able to spot him when he slipped from around the side of the tower.

"Good," he said, "you pay attention to your surroundings. Let's go, we have a lot of work to do."

Ibiki walked briskly towards one of the training fields with Sakura following obediently. When they reached the field, Ibiki gave the nervous girl the once over.

"I've checked up on you," he finally commented. "You impressed me in the preliminaries."

"Really," Sakura replied hesitantly.

"Your academy teachers have all said that you are incredibly smart and I noticed that you didn't need to cheat to pass my exam. That speaks highly of your intelligence. I was also impressed by how you beat the Yamanaka girl. It's not easy to put one over on them."

Sakura stood straighter, beaming under the man's praise. Ibiki smirked, now it was time for the slap down.

"That being said, you still have a long way to go before I consider you chuunin material. Being a chuunin is about more than beating your opponent, it is about leadership. Part of leadership is planning, and from what I saw, you had no initial plan."

Sakura wilted under the judgment. While it was true she had no plan, she still beat Ino. Wasn't that enough. When she said as much to Ibiki, he scoffed.

"True you did win, but that is only because your opponent had no plan either. You both went in looking to outdo your opponent with your skills. In the ninja world, that type of thinking will eventually get you or your teammates killed. There is always someone more skilled than you are. Preparation is an essential key to victory and part of being prepared is to have a strategy for contact with the enemy.

Think about this, if you know your enemy, then you can tailor your strategy to match your strength to their weakness. If you do not know your enemy, then you can plan to force them to reveal important information that you can use to win. Put that mind of yours to work."

Sakura nodded in understanding. She had never really thought about it, but it made sense. "You mean like how Naruto beat Kiba."

Ibiki grinned at the memory. "Not exactly but close enough, I was surprised at the boy's performance. As unfortunate as it was, his accident gave you three the wake up call that you needed. You should feel lucky, too many genin suffer the loss of a comrade to get theirs. At least yours survived."

Sakura thought on Ibiki's words and used them to reaffirm her commitment to get stronger. "So sensei, what will you be teaching me?"

Ibiki nodded at her eagerness, it was a good sign. "There is not much in the way of taijutsu that I could teach you in a month that would be of any real use, which is too bad because that is your main weakness, so we will concentrate on jutsu. First, we need to work on getting you some defensive techniques. Kakashi told me what he has taught you so far and I think we need to bolster your arsenal. Then I will give you a few more techniques to give you more offensive options.

After that I am going to teach you how to read your opponent. You will learn the basics of how to manipulate their mind. Force them to act as you want them to and you've already won."

Seeing the excitement on the girls face he decided she was ready. "The first technique is a genjutsu, Illusion Arts: Displacement. It is a defensive illusion that makes you appear to be three feet from your true position. These are the signs."

* * *

Naruto walked excitedly to his appointment with Jiraiya. The day had been going great so far. He had sufficiently learned the first kata enough to satisfy Akisame and at this rate would be learning the Shadow Dance by next week. The young ninja was on his way to the hot springs to meet his next teacher. Naruto remembered Jiraiya as the man who fixed his seal. The man had saved his life and for that he had his utmost respect.

Naruto finally made it to the hot springs but as he searched around, he could find no trace of the Sannin. Just as he was about to head back to Akisame's to verify the meeting spot he heard creepy giggling coming from the side of the onsen where the women's baths were. Being Konoha's chief pervert buster, he decided to investigate.

Bending over, peeking on the bathing women through a small hole in the fence was none other than Jiraiya. Well, there went much of his respect for the man. Naruto glowered at him before a mischievous grin grew on his face. Naruto sucked in a lung full of air and bellowed, "Hey Jiraiya-sensei, if you're done peeping on the women, how about we start my training."

Jiraiya leaped three feet into the air as shouts of surprise and rage emanated from the other side of the fence. The Sannin glared daggers at the boy but decided that discretion was the better part of valor, so he grabbed him by the back of his vest and hightailed it out of there. He had run nearly a quarter of the way across the village before he stopped. He scowled at the grinning genin before demanding, "What's the big idea, gaki?"

Naruto frowned and pointed accusingly at him as he yelled, "You're a pervert!"

Jiraiya put on his most offended look before retorting, "I'm no pervert…I'm a super pervert!"

Naruto was dumbfounded that anyone would actually brag about being a pervert. He just shook his head at the weirdness of some shinobi. "So what are you going to be teaching me, anyway?"

Jiraiya stroked his chin as they moved to sit in the shade of a nearby tree. "First, tell me how you feel about toads."

Naruto thought about it for a second. "Well I read a book that said the Yondaime could summon toads. He could even summon the Toad Boss Gamabunta, so I guess that makes them pretty cool."

Jiraiya smiled at him. "So you like the Yondaime?"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he's my hero. Someday, I'm going to protect this village as the Hokage just like him." Naruto paused as he broke into a wide smile. "But I'll be even better. I am going to be the greatest Hokage in history!"

Jiraiya laughed. Oh, this would be too easy. "Really gaki, you think you could out do the Yellow Flash huh. Well how would you like to be able to summon toads like him?"

Naruto got excited then depressed as realization set in. "I can't use jutsu, remember."

Jiraiya knew he had him. "Kid, you are talking to one of the greatest seal masters in the world. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Tell me have you ever thought about getting a tattoo?"

* * *

"Faster girl! Do you think your opponent will just sit around while you try to use your techniques? You need to be able to move and focus at the same time. Now move."

Sakura dodged the trio of shuriken rocketing towards her as she made a hand seal. "Temporary Paralysis Technique," she gasped. Ibiki immediately froze for a few seconds before he shuddered and threw off the technique. However, Sakura had not been idle. The moment he was trapped, she once again flipped through a set of seals and there was a slight blur as she raced forward brandishing a kunai.

As she got three feet away from him, Ibiki lashed out, seemingly grabbing at thin air. The action was shown to be justified when the genjutsu dropped to reveal Sakura standing right in front of him with her kunai aimed for his throat.

"Not bad girl, but you need to learn to focus better while on the move and to move faster to capitalize on any openings. Remember, the Temporary Paralysis Technique depends on the focus of the user and the relative strength of both user and target. The stronger your opponent the faster it will wear off. You have to act fast. Luckily, with your chakra control, you should be able to use this with no seal, which makes it that much more of a surprise.

That was also a good use of the Displacement Technique. That combo would give you the win over most genin and even a few chuunin. There is still the issue of the blur but the next technique I teach you will help with that. For now just practice getting these two down and doing them while dodging. Your first fight in the exams is against the Nara boy and if he is anything like his old man, you will need to stay mobile. Let's get back to it."

* * *

"Alright Sasuke that's enough for now."

Sasuke collapsed on the ground, panting in exhaustion. After leaving the village early, he and Kakashi traveled for two and a half hours to a deserted mountainous area. After climbing for another forty-five minutes, they reached a plateau, which Kakashi announced would be their home for the next month.

Sasuke had barely had time to set up his tent and stow his belongings before Kakashi had him running speed drills. After an hour of that, they moved on to training his sharingan and finally finished up with sparring.

Kakashi sat on a nearby rock looking just as fresh as when they started. "I see we need to work on your stamina," he quipped. "Anyway, for the next week we work on your speed, stamina and accuracy. Next week we start on jutsu training. Ah, that reminds me." Kakashi reached into his vest and pulled out a card. "Here, channel some chakra through this."

Sasuke took the card and did as commanded. As he did, the card crumpled up. He looked at Kakashi questioningly.

"This is chakra paper. I will not bore you with the details, but it shows your elemental affinity. The fact that it crumpled means that you have a lightning affinity."

"That can't be right. All Uchiha had a fire affinity." Sasuke replied.

Kakashi shook his head. "Nope. While most do, I knew two who had earth affinities and one who had water. I'm sure there were a few others."

"So what does this mean?"

Kakashi smiled. "This means we share an affinity and I will be teaching you a few lightning jutsu. I can think of several that should be good. You need to be careful though, lightning techniques are also weak to wind techniques."

Sasuke nodded. "So it will be no good against that Suna kunoichi who uses the fan."

"Not necessarily, you just have to be careful using them. Now take a break and then we will get back to training."

* * *

Naruto was excited. Jiraiya had him sign a large scroll in blood and leave his bloody handprint. After that, they sat and the old Toad Sage pulled out his sealing kit. He took some of Naruto's blood and, once Naruto showed him where he wanted the tattoo, proceeded to lecture him as he inscribed the seal.

"You see kid, some seals require the blood of the either the sealer or the target to work effectively. For this one we need your blood for three reasons. The first is so that your body recognizes the ink and doesn't try to heal the seal off. Now I'm not one hundred percent sure it would, but with the changes to your body why take chances. Next, the summoning technique requires a blood component. This way the seal recognizes your blood as the triggering agent. Finally, your blood provides a link to your chakra. This makes sure the thing works properly and ties it all together." Jiraiya paused to make sure the boy was following his explanation. "Any questions?"

Naruto quickly responded. "Yeah, did you make this seal just for me? Oh, and can you do this with any jutsu or is it only certain ones? Could I learn to do stuff like that? Will it wash off? And another thing…"

Slow down gaki. Let me answer a few," Jiraiya teasingly barked. Truth was he was happy to see Naruto's enthusiasm for his craft. Few ninja felt the calling for fuinjutsu. It took too long, required lots of research and experimentation and required preparation that ninjutsu did not. Most shinobi never got past the basics.

"To answer your questions, No I didn't make this just for you. I have one too, see." Jiraiya showed him the seal on his left palm. "In the middle of a battle it's good because it cuts down the time needed to use it. The summoning technique is not one you can skip seals with like you can some other jutsu.

As to your other questions, yes, you can do this with other jutsu but for you it will be tricky. You see you need to have an understanding of how the chakra needs to be molded in order to get the seal to mold it for you. I had been using this technique for years before I created my seal. No, it won't wash off. Once I complete the seal, it will be permanently branded on your arm. The only way to remove it would be to create a seal to destroy it."

By this time, Jiraiya had finished drawing the seal. He performed a few hand signs and channeled chakra into the seal. Naruto felt a tingling and then a brief flash of pain as the seal shifted and compressed into its new form. Like Jiraiya's, it consisted of a black circle with a thick line that arced from the top of the circle and followed it down one side to the bottom, where it arced in the opposite direction further down. Over all, the seal was no more than two and a half inches and was centered on his bicep.

Jiraiya got up with Naruto following right behind him. They moved into the clearing and Jiraiya turned to his new student. "Alright gaki, lets see what you can do. Bite your thumb and smear some blood on the seal as you channel chakra into it. When you're done slap your hand with the blood on it onto the ground. Try for a good amount; this is a chakra intensive technique."

Naruto squared himself and bit his thumb. He channeled his chakra into the seal as he swiped his thumb along it. With a cry of "Summoning Technique", he slapped his hand down on the ground. There was a puff of smoke and an orange toad wearing a blue vest appeared.

The toad looked around then up at Naruto and said, "Yo, hiya doing. I'm Gamakichi." Jiraiya was pleased that his guess was right. Between the increased potency of Naruto's chakra and all of the chakra control training, Naruto was able to summon with little difficulty.

"Hey Kichi, how you been?" the old sage asked.

Gamakichi turn to regard the elder summoner. "You know pops is still pretty steamed at you. You better not summon him."

Jiraiya blanched and shook his head. "No, I won't be summoning Bunta-sama. It was Naruto here who summoned you."

Gamakichi eyed Naruto disbelievingly. "You mean the kid?" Naruto frowned but held his tongue. No sense letting his mouth get him on the bad side of his first summons.

Jiraiya introduced them. "Naruto this is Gamakichi, son of the Toad Boss, Gamabunta. Gamakichi, this is Naruto, the newest toad summoner."

Naruto smiled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Nice to meet you, Kichi."

Gamakichi nodded to himself and leaped up on Naruto's head. He made himself comfortable in the boy's hair. "You'll do," he declared. "So what's up?"

"I'm teaching the kid here the basics of summoning. Right now he's practicing," Jiraiya explained.

"Cool, I can introduce you to the guys," Kichi added helpfully.

"Alright Naruto, try it again but using more chakra this time."

* * *

Naruto stretched as he got out of bed that Sunday. He had slept in that morning as he had been up late working on ideas to give to run past Jiraiya on Monday. Naruto had spent the week practicing summoning, meeting the various toads and learning how to summon specific ones. He had met several who he had struck up a rapport with and made deals to have them assist him in fights and on missions. They decided to spend the next week learning to work together and getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses.

At the end of the last training session, Jiraiya told him they would start his seal training in one week. In the meantime, he had given his apprentice his old books on sealing to study. Naruto had flipped through them that night, noting this scrawled notes Jiraiya had written in the margins. They really helped in clarifying certain things.

Naruto was also eager to get back to his taijutsu training. Akisame was finally satisfied that Naruto had all eight katas down to an acceptable level and now intended to teach Naruto the Shadow Dance. Akisame had explained that the Shadow Dance was a technique similar to the Silent Killing Technique. It allowed the user to remain in the targets blind spots while being able to strike with impunity. The difference between this and Silent Killing was the Shadow Dancer needed no cover from which to strike. It was done by using their natural flexibility, agility and unpredictable nature to continue to remain outside the targets view.

That was all for tomorrow however. Both of his sensei had decided to give him the day off so as not to overwork him. Which was just as well since Naruto had something he intended to do today.

Naruto left his apartment after a quick shower. He stopped off at Ichiraku's and, to the surprise of Ayame and Teuchi got three large bowls to go. He left the stand and headed towards the hospital. When he got there, he asked the receptionist for directions and headed on to his destination.

When he got to the room, he heard voices and knocked politely on the door. He entered when he heard quiet "Come in". Seated on the bed, propped up by pillows was Hyuuga Hinata. Kurenai was seated in a chair to her right, while Kiba and Shino both stood to her left with Akamaru perched on Kiba's head. Naruto paused when he saw Kiba. The dog-nin still had a few bandages on him from their fight, and the blond could not be sure if the brash boy held a grudge.

The two former opponents eyed each other up until finally Kiba broke out in a big grin. "Hey man, that was a hell of a fight!" Kiba held hi s hand out to an astounded Naruto, who shook it dazedly. "No hard feelings dude, it wasn't personal or anything."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, it's cool." Remembering his manners Naruto continued. "Hello Kurenai-sensei, hi Shino-san. I just came to visit Hinata. Oh and I brought her some lunch. I remember the food here was terrible."

Shino nodded his greeting as Kurenai answered, "Hello Naruto. That was very kind of you. Congratulations on your win, you were very impressive."

Naruto beamed at the praise. "Thanks. Kiba was a tough opponent. I'm training really hard." His expression darkened momentarily. "I have someone to pay back after all." Hinata looked apprehensive at his declaration, which did not escape Kurenai's notice.

"Yes, well, good luck in the finals. Come on Shino, Kiba, we have things to do so why don't we go."

"Huh, what do you mean sensei?" Kiba asked confused. "I don't have any plans, I was just gonna hang here with Hinata and Naruto."

Kurenai rolled her eyes in exasperation at the boy's obliviousness. She nodded at a blushing Hinata who kept sneaking nervous glances at Naruto. Almost as if a light bulb went on, you could see the dawning comprehension in the feral boy's eyes. "Oh yeah that's right. I have to do that… thing for… my mom. Yeah, sorry Hinata, Naruto, I'll have to hang with you guys later."

Naruto was very perceptive but still naïve. He could tell Kiba was lying but he could not figure out why. He shrugged it off as the rest of Team 8 said their goodbyes.

Hinata had been dumbstruck at the appearance of her crush but finally got it together enough to stutter out, "H-hello Naruto-kun."

Naruto sat in the chair vacated by Kurenai. "Hey, Hinata, how have you been? I thought you might be tired of hospital food so I brought you this." He pulled out the bowls of ramen. "I thought we could eat lunch and talk for a while."

Hinata's blush darkened. He wanted to eat with her! She got herself under control. He was probably just being nice. Y-you didn't have to do that. W-what about your t-training? You don't have to s-stop just to visit me," she blurted.

Naruto just waved it off. "It's ok. My sensei gave me the day off so I thought I would come and see how you were doing. Besides, we never really talked much and I would like to get to know you. After all we did graduate together and we are comrades."

Hinata was thrilled. Even if he was just being friendly, Naruto wanted to spend time with her. She nodded shyly and accepted one of the bowls.

The two ate and talked. He joked and told her stories about his team and his sensei's. She spoke about her time on Team 8. By the time the nurse came in to announce that visiting hours were over, the two had the beginnings of a real friendship. Hinata was just amazed that she actually became more comfortable in the blond boys presence, although she was still prone to bouts of blushing and playing with her fingers.

Naruto left with promises to visit again and a reaffirmation of his vow to show that bastard Neji what happened to people who hurt his friends.

* * *

**A/N:** So here we are. Team 7's training has begun and Naruto has the Toad contract. Sakura and Sasuke will both be learning new techniques as they gear up for the finals. Also, to clarify, the pairing will not happen until after the time-skip so do not strain yourselves looking for it.

As for my second fic, circumstances have forced me to put it off until the beginning of next year. Hopefully by then I will have a buffer for both fics and can post a little more consistently even when things go haywire. As always, I would appreciate any feedback. Also, I want to note that the genjutsu that Sakura uses is not of my creation, but unfortunately I cannot remember where I first read it and I have since seen it in several stories. Any jutsu I borrow will be properly credited if possible. Thanks again for reading; I'll see you next time!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **I'm back again. It seems the more I try to stick to a schedule the more life screws with me. I got hit with the worst case of writers block I have had since I started doing this. I'm still not a hundred percent satisfied with the chapter but I didn't want to put it off any longer. This chapter sets up something for later on, see if you can catch it.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 10

Naruto knocked on Akisame's door at exactly seven o'clock Monday morning. He had finally gotten into the habit of arriving right on time. Akisame welcomed him and they proceeded to the backyard. Once there, Naruto stretched and went into a routine that utilized all eight katas. Akisame still had to correct him a couple of times but was pleased overall at his apprentice's progress. When Naruto was finished, he stood waiting patiently for Akisame to begin the lesson.

Akisame stroked his bearded chin as he began speaking. "The time as come for me to teach you the final component to the Shadow Eel Style. Up until now, you have learned how to face your foe in pure combat by evading and deflecting their blows. We, however, are ninja. We do not fight face to face when we can attack from behind. The knife in the back is deadlier than the sword in your face. The Shadow Dance is the technique that will allow you to become that knife."

Akisame stood directly in front of Naruto. "Stand in the basic academy attack position," he ordered. Naruto did not understand but he did not hesitate to comply. "Now, without moving your head, I want you to take note of the limits of your vision." He watched as the young man's eyes rolled around. "This is your field of vision. As you can see, it is limited. You can see what is directly in front and to either side of you. Tell me, without moving your head, can you see what is right at your feet?"

Naruto looked down and to his surprise, realized that he could not in fact even see his feet. Naruto looked back up when he heard his teacher chuckling at his shock.

"Fortunately for those of us with both of our eyes in the front of our heads, we can move our necks to extend our field of vision. Go on, try it." Naruto moved his head and took note of where his range was extended. "You will notice," Akisame continued, "that your view has now grown to just above and below you, as well as just behind you on the right and left side. That leaves a sizable blind spot does it not?" Naruto nodded in assent.

"Most taijutsu practitioners and all shinobi learn to supplement our limited field of vision in various ways. We learn to listen and feel for movement and many develop a sixth sense that alerts them when someone is close behind them. Through the Shadow Dance you will learn how to remain in your opponent's blind spot and to minimize or even negate those supplementary senses."

Naruto had to fight to maintain his calm. This was better than he had hoped for. So what if he could never really excel at the academy style of taijutsu, this was ten, no, a hundred times better.

As much as Naruto tried to hide his excitement, Akisame easily picked up on it. The elder nin was excited as well. This would determine whether or not Naruto was the true successor to the Shadow Eel Style. If he could master the Shadow Dance, Akisame could live out the remainder of his life in the hope that his art would live on.

"Now for the first step, you must learn to minimize your presence while maximizing your awareness." Akisame sat in a meditative pose followed shortly by his apprentice. "Close your eyes and feel the world around you. Feel how it interacts with you, with your body. Listen to the sounds of your environment, feel its touch on your skin, notice the smells in the air." Naruto calmed himself and followed his master's words. This was much easier to do after all of his time meditating. Soon he felt it. He could hear the birds in the trees, the squirrels scampering on the ground. He could feel the air flow around him and the sand shift beneath him."

"Now open your eyes," Akisame ordered. Naruto complied and noted by the change in the shadows, that more than an hour had passed. "Could you feel it Naruto?"

"Hai, sensei, I could."

"Good, now close your eyes once more and this time I want you to not only feel the world around you but feel your place in it." Naruto obeyed once more. It came a little faster this time. Once he was there, he turned his focus inward. "Feel your energy, your chakra," Akisame whispered. "Feel how it flows through you. Feel your aura, that link to the world around you." Naruto sat in silence trying to get a sense of what his teacher was telling him. After a while, he slowly began to feel how his energy seemed to extend out, wrapping him in an aura of his own vitality.

Akisame watch Naruto as he searched for that balance with his environment. Akisame's mastery of this particular skill gave him an idea of when his pupil achieved his goal. "Now here comes the difficult part," he whispered. "I want you to slowly draw in your energy. Imagine a beach. The shore is the world around you and the sea is your energy. Each time the waves flow back out to sea, they recede a little more, drawing away from the beach. Let your energy recede just like that wave, drawing it in slowly, a little bit at a time.

Naruto listened and tried to do as his teacher instructed. He could sense his energy and he attempted to slowly draw it in but when he tried, he would lose his feel for his surroundings. However, Uzumaki Naruto was no quitter, so he would simply start over hoping to see where he went wrong.

Akisame watched him struggle. Truthfully, this was one of the hardest things to learn about the Shadow Dance. Several hours passed as Naruto tried to get the hang of the exercise. He kept getting closer but the answer simply eluded him. He felt disappointed, like he had let Akisame down.

"Mah mah, don't feel bad Naru-chan. You did much better than I hoped. I never expected you to get even as far as you did today."

"Really?" Naruto questioned. Akisame was always honest with him so he had no reason to doubt his word, but still.

Akisame laughed at the hopeful expression on the youngsters face. "Really. You have this intuitive feel for your surroundings. I believe this is why you are so good at stealth. You just have to work at it. So from now on, for two hours every night, I want you to practice this exercise. When you get here in the mornings that is also what you will do for the first two hours. Tomorrow I will teach you the art of shadowing someone."

They stood, brushing the sand from their clothes, and walked inside. "Now, how about joining your sensei for a nice lunch.

* * *

After lunch, Naruto went through his now daily routine of tracking down his perverted fuinjutsu instructor. The man was the embodiment of the dirty old man. Usually he was peeping at the hot springs, but Naruto had once found him at a nearby stream watching girls frolicking around in bikinis. Luckily, he was at his favorite spot.

"Damn it Ero-sennin, quit being a pervert and let's go start my training," Naruto yelled.

Jiraiya bolted up, grabbing the little loudmouth and dashing off at the first sign of indignant yells from the female bathers. When they reached the training ground, the Toad Sage dumped his flailing bundle in the middle of the clearing.

"What's the big idea, Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya felt the vein in his temple pulse. "Damn it gaki, I thought I told you not to interrupt my research and to quit calling me that!"

Now in Naruto's defense, he had remained respectful for three whole days, despite Jiraiya being an incorrigible letch. The last straw was when he found out that Jiraiya wrote those little orange books that Kakashi always read. Imagine the Great Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage and fuinjutsu master was an unrepentant author of porn. Therefore, Naruto, being who he was, gave him another title that he felt was much more fitting.

"I'll stop calling you Ero-sennin when you stop acting like a perv. Now can we please get on with my training?"

Jiraiya mumbled something about loudmouthed, opinionated brats who do not recognize the value of true literature before grunting, "fine". His entire demeanor changed as he became serious. "Let's see what you got kid."

Naruto grinned and got to it. Honestly, he loved this. It was the closest he could come to performing jutsu, and while he had long ago decided not to be all angsty about it, he still missed being able to pop out a bunch of shadow clones, or mess around with the Transformation Technique. Naruto shook it off and bit his left thumb, channeling chakra and wiping the blood across this seal. There was a puff of smoke and Gamakichi appeared. Naruto smiled as the little toad hopped onto a nearby stump.

"Hey bro, you gonna practice with Suiren and the twins?"

"Yep, I want to at least get used to fighting with them before the finals," Naruto replied.

The two had become fast friends in the week they had spent together. Gamakichi would sit nestled in Naruto's hair and introduce him to the toads he summoned. In this way, Naruto got to meet many of his new summons and he had built a relationship with a few of them by the end of the week. Now it was time for them to learn to fight as a unit.

Naruto once again performed the technique only this time with much more chakra. A large burst of smoke appeared as he slammed his hand on the ground, blowing away to reveal three man-sized toads. The first was four feet tall with a blue and green coloring. The other two were six and a half and seven feet tall; each was brown with green markings on their faces and backs. The shorter of the two wore a black jacket and twin hand axes tucked into a white belt, while the other wore a black samurai breastplate and a metal kanabo on his back.

The twins, Tsubusu and Gamaheki, gave Gamakichi a polite greeting. The two were the students of Gamaken, Gamabunta's brother. Like their teacher, they specialized in weapons combat. "Greetings little cousin," said Gamaheki referring to Naruto. He was the more sociable of the two. Tsubusu merely inclined his head in greeting. The brothers had decided that since they would be working with Naruto, they would adopt him.

"Gentlemen, I think it is time we begin," Suiren declared. Suiren was a nice toad but very formal and proper. She used water ninjutsu and would provide long-range support.

Naruto nodded and turned to Jiraiya as he stood with his summoned team. "You ready Ero-sennin?"

The sage stood in his stance and waved them forward. "Come on kid, show me what you got."

* * *

Sakura knelt before her temporary sensei. She thought Kakashi was bad but Ibiki was a slave driver. The pink-haired teen was sure she was nearing chakra exhaustion. She had gotten the Displacement down so that the illusion was nearly seamless and with a little more practice, she felt she could do the Temporary Paralysis Technique with just a look. As it stood now she could do it with a touch.

While Ibiki deemed her competent, he still forced her to practice until they were second nature. He also showed her the next technique on the list. The Shunshin, or Body Flicker, was a D-ranked rapid movement technique that caused the user to move at an almost untraceable speed. The most basic version, which is the one Sakura learned, covered the movement with a burst of smoke.

First Ibiki had her practice the Shunshin all morning, and then he had her practice using it with the Displacement. Sakura was skeptical when Ibiki told her the drawback to the Shunshin, namely that a high ranked or sensor type ninja could still track your chakra signature as you reappeared, but the scarred jounin assured her that the genjutsu would work to cover that weakness in most other cases.

"Come on girl, is that all you've got in you?" Ibiki jeered. "At least give me one more set. Or am I wasting my time?"

Sakura heaved herself to her feet. She would not quit, not when she had finally gained confidence in herself. Sakura eyed her mentor evilly. Sakura made a promise to herself that before the month was over, she would tag the bastard and make him acknowledge her.

* * *

"Good job Sasuke. Now you just need to practice adjusting the chakra output," Kakashi explained.

Sasuke was thrilled. After a week of pure physical training, he was finally learning ninjutsu. The one he was learning now was a defensive lightning jutsu, Static Current, which formed a bubble of lightning charka to form around the user. It was a low-level technique that could only knock an opponent unconscious but the young Uchiha felt he was finally making progress. Sasuke would listen to whatever the jounin had to say if he could only learn that technique.

Kakashi had shown Sasuke his one original technique. To say that he was impressed was an understatement. An attack that only those with a sharingan could properly use and an assassination jutsu at that. He could just imagine plunging his lightning encased hand into Itachi's black heart and watching as the life drained from his astonished face. For that, he would do anything Kakashi told him.

Sasuke shook off his daydream and got back to work. There would be no slacking. He gathered his chakra and performed the hand signs. He could feel the electricity flow across his skin before expanding out. Sasuke channeled more chakra into the field, almost feeling it intensify.

"Ready Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke nodded. This was the test, if the field could stop a thrown kunai. Kakashi's arm whipped forward in a blur, launching a kunai right at him. Sasuke could barely suppress the urge to flinch. He was not used to just standing there while people threw weapons at him. The kunai hit the field and you could see it slow visibly as it slipped through. The, thankfully, blunted kunai hit him in the shoulder and disrupted his hold on the jutsu. The electric field dropped and Sasuke rubbed his bruised shoulder.

"You almost got it that time." Kakashi smiled at his students frown. "Practice a little more and when you think you're ready, let me know and we will try it again."

Sasuke sighed to himself. He would master this and every other technique Kakashi showed him. It was only a matter of time, and maybe then, his family could be at peace.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino sat deep in thought at her kitchen table. Her mother had turned in early after a long day at the flower shop, so it was just her and her dad. Her father watched her pick at her food, her mind a million miles away. She had been like this since her defeat in the chuunin exams. Inoichi worried for his daughter, although that was not unusual. He remembered the swell of pride he felt when she decided that she would be a shinobi followed shortly by a persistent unease. It wasn't that he did not have faith in his daughter. Kami only knows his little princess had the intelligence, natural ability and determination to be an excellent ninja. Unfortunately, she could also be vain, shallow, and obstinate. Inoichi could barely suppress the urge to roll his eyes at the though of her infatuation with the Uchiha. The elder Yamanaka knew better than anyone the issues the kid had, as he was one of the three who evaluated him after the massacre.

"Daddy?"

Inoichi was drawn from his reflecting by his daughter. "Yes, princess?"

Ino looked at her father with trepidation. "Do you think that I'm weak?"

Inoichi could hear the anxiety and fear in her voice. Normally he would not hesitate to reassure her that she wasn't, but something in the way she asked made him think before he answered. He eyed her critically as he ordered his thoughts and searched for a way to phrase his judgment.

Ino felt the little food she had eaten turn into a lead ball in her gut as she waited for her father's pronouncement. She had been reflecting on that question for the last week. She was thoroughly embarrassed at the ease with which Sakura defeated her. When Asuma told her what happened she was mortified. Ino could not believe it. After all, she had been the highest ranked kunoichi in the class. Sure Sakura had higher test grades and Hinata was better at taijutsu, but overall Ino outdid them all. To lose to Sakura…she had embarrassed herself in front of her team, her former classmates, and of course Sasuke.

Inoichi cleared his throat, catching her attention. "Alright Ino, since you asked, I'm going to be brutally honest. You have let your training lapse due to your obsession with that boy. You diet when you should be eating good, well-balanced meals and you have let your physical conditioning fall to the wayside. You have not bothered to learn more than the most basic of our family techniques and from what I can tell you have not studied since you graduated the academy. You are bossy, arrogant, shallow, and spoiled."

Inoichi wanted to hold his daughter like he used to, even as he stared stonily at her. She could barely meet his eyes and her eyes glistened with unshed tears at his harsh criticism. He finally relented and softening his features he continued. "That being said, you have the potential to be an amazing kunoichi. You are smart, charismatic, and possess great skill with the few techniques that you have learned. Most of all, you have an amazing natural ability to read people, when you bother to use it."

Ino used his praise to pick up the tattered remains of her self-confidence. "So what does that mean, daddy? How can I get stronger? I want to be better than this."

"What that means is that you have a lot of work to do," Inoichi explained. "The life of a ninja is uncertain. The best way to survive is to constantly hone your abilities and to trust and rely on your teammates. In turn, they have to be able to rely on you." Inoichi sighed. "I guess I'm partly to blame for this. You're my sweet little girl and I've let that cloud my judgment. I've spoiled you and let you have your way even when I went against my better judgment. I kept hoping that you would find your way but I neglected to guide you. It doesn't help that there are few kunoichi in the clan that you are close to. With your mom being a civilian, you lack a strong female role model."

Inoichi saw the girl's face cloud up at the implied insult so he swiftly headed her off. "No offense to your mother. She is a strong woman and kami knows she even scares me sometimes, but she is not a shinobi. Every young ninja needs someone to look up to. An example of the kind of shinobi they wish to be. As much as I would love for that to be me, I just don't think mine is the path for you." The last thing he wanted was for his princess to be working with T&I and doing psych evaluations. He shuddered at the thought. "No, you have to find your own example, the ninja you can look to and say, that is who I want to be."

Ino thought about what her father said. Maybe he had a point. She really hadn't spent much time training. While she could lay some of the blame at the feet of her perpetually laid back sensei, the bulk lied solely at her own feet. After all, she could have asked for more training, if not from him then from her father. "What do I do, daddy? I want to be stronger. I'm… I'm not proud of who I am becoming. I want to be better."

Inoichi had already made up his mind. "If you're serious about this, well, I have a few favors I can call in. I think I can arrange to go in late and leave early. Give me a week to clear up my schedule and then for the next two weeks after that we can focus on your training for a few hours every morning and afternoon. I am going to warn you now; if we do this I will not go easy on you. I think that you have been coddled enough. It's high time for you to take being a ninja seriously and I'm going to work you harder than you have ever been worked before. Understand Ino, I can get you started but you have to truly want this. Do you accept those terms?"

Ino wiped her eyes and looked up at the expectant face of her father. "Hai, daddy, I'm ready. Like Fore… Sakura said, it's time for me to grow up. I'm going to show everybody just how great a kunoichi I can be." Ino hurriedly finished the rest of her dinner and rushed upstairs. She had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

The following morning, Naruto had just finished his awareness training and stood ready for Akisame to begin. Akisame stood in front of his pupil with his hands clasped behind his back and began his lecture. "Now it is time for you to learn the mechanics of the Shadow Dance. While the concept of what I am about to show you is simple, believe me when I say the execution is not. You must learn to disappear from your opponent's sight right before their eyes and remain in their blind spot. To do this you have to learn to read and react instantly to every move they make. If you misread or are slow to react," Akisame pulled a wood switch from behind his back, "the consequences can be… painful."

Naruto eyed the switch and gulped. He knew his teacher had his best interest at heart but sometimes the man seemed to enjoy his discomfort more than was strictly necessary. For instance, the way he was swinging that switch around, ostensibly testing its strength and flexibility but more likely just to terrify his young apprentice.

"Come now," Akisame said, shaking Naruto from his musing. "For the next two hours, I am going to move about the house and yard attending to various chores. Your task is to shadow my every move and to remain outside my sightline. Every time I see you, you get one whack with the switch so for your sake, try to remain hidden."

* * *

Two hours later and Naruto would have been covered in bruises but for the accelerated healing from the fox. Akisame would strike swiftly at the merest glimpse of Naruto. The good news was that Naruto slowly started to get the hang of the exercise. Luckily he was used to contorting his body in awkward positions, because some of the ways he had to bend and move to stay out of sight would have most people in spasms. Naruto admittedly was enjoying himself at the end, once he stopped getting swatted so much. He felt like that cartoon rabbit who was always messing with that stuttering hunter. Naruto grinned at the thought as it appealed to his mischievous prankster nature.

Akisame called a halt to the exercise and had him wash up. When Naruto returned, his sensei was standing by the door waiting for him.

"Where we going sensei?"

"Ah, as part of your training, we will go out to eat. I want you to observe the people around you, particularly the shinobi. Watch how they move and how their muscles shift with every motion. Take note of how their movements cause their shadows to shift. These are all important to mastering the Shadow Dance."

The duo entered a small restaurant and placed their orders. They ate in silence as Naruto watched the people pass by. Even in the midst of his training, Naruto was mulling over some things he had been thinking about for a while. After almost a half hour of silence, he addressed his teacher. "Ano, sensei, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Akisame looked at him over the edge of his teacup. "Of course, Naru-chan."

"What kind of ninja were you? I don't mean rank or anything, I mean, what was your specialty. One of the things I learned was that most ninja tend to specialize, so what was yours?"

Akisame smiled at him. "Hm, how about we see how well your observational skills are coming along. You tell me, what kind of shinobi was I? What do you think my specialty was?"

Naruto only took a second before he responded. "Well I can only guess but, I don't think you were a combat specialist. I don't know what techniques you do know but the Shadow Eel style is not a confrontational style and it does not make it easy to use close range jutsu. On the other hand, it also keeps you too close to use long-range attacks, so that rules out long range offensive jutsu. The style itself just feels more like something a spy or assassin would use." Akisame nodded his head encouragingly.

"Then too, I remember when you were telling me about how you got injured when you had to retire. On the surface it sounded like you could have just ran across that Iwa ambush while traveling or on patrol, but some things kept nagging at me and I finally figured out what it was. Little details, like how you mentioned ambush sites as in more than one. Or how you escaped the ambush in the first place. Better yet, how did you find out about the ambush to start with. The whole point of an ambush is to not be noticed until it's too late. It seems more likely that you knew about the ambushes already and you got discovered before you could relay the intel."

Akisame laughed and patted Naruto on the back. "Very good Naru-chan. You are right, I was an infiltration specialist. One of my favorite covers was as a musician or painter. That particular time, I had been posing as a musician at a Kusa inn in a town occupied by Iwa, eavesdropping on conversations and relaying any pertinent intel. I heard rumor of a big operation, so snuck into the local outpost where I discovered orders about the ambushes. Of course I had to verify, so I went to take a look for myself.

Unfortunately, by pure chance, I got spotted on the way out by a ninja who frequented the inn and he recognized me. I took him out but not before he raised the alarm. I as able to escape but not before I got injured. The good thing was, Iwa wasn't able to get word to the ambush parties before we were able to take them out."

"Wow, that's was cool sensei. Do you ever regret being injured and having to retire?"

Akisame could see that the boy was equating their experiences. "While there are times I do miss being a shinobi, I take comfort in the fact that what I did may very well have saved the lives of my comrades. That more than anything else allows me to be at peace. Besides, in all the time I spent using art as a cover, I developed a true enjoyment that has lasted me throughout my retirement. I was also able to spend more time with my daughter, something that I had always wished I could do more of. All in all, it was an even trade I think."

The two spent the rest of their time in companionable silence, watching the people go by.

* * *

It wasn't until midway through the following week that Naruto had a breakthrough in his awareness training. He was already becoming adept at shadowing people by that time. He had taken to doing it as a game. He would pick a random person out of a crowd and see how long and how closely he could shadow them without being discovered. The civilians were easy and he got bored with them in a couple of days. The shinobi were the true challenge. More than once he got ran off by an irate chuunin and he even got stopped by an ANBU who wanted to know what he was up to. He was called into the Sandaime's office to explain himself, noting in passing that the old man had been in a meeting with Jiraiya, Ibiki, and Nara Shikaku.

The third merely chuckled at Naruto's explanation of his antics and simply told him not to get caught bothering his shinobi. Naruto took it as a challenge. After all, the old man said not to get caught. He was still reported twice after that.

None of that mattered as Naruto sat that Thursday morning. He was well into the first hour of his awareness training and it required constant meditation to keep his frustration from overcoming him. Naruto had not felt this much exasperation in trying to learn since his academy days. While he had experienced some minor improvement, it was slow in coming. With just under a week and a half left to train, he was worried that he would not grasp the skill in time. More importantly, he could not help but feel as if he was letting his sensei down.

This of course triggered buried fears in the ambitious genin. He remembered what it was like, the constant desire to be one of the crowd, to want that acceptance, while at the same time shut off from everyone and hiding behind a smile so they could not see his pain. It was in the midst of these fleeting thoughts that it happened. One second he was struggling to draw in his presence and the next it flowed into his, surrounding him like a second skin.

Akisame, who had been meditating in front of him, snapped his eyes open. "You've done it Naru-chan!"

Naruto was so excited that he lost that feeling and the shell collapsed. Akisame briefly felt a warm sense of exultation that vanished shortly thereafter. "Tell me, what you were thinking about. How did you feel exactly?"

Naruto closed his eyes tightly, trying to recapture what he was feeling. His answer was slow to come and when it did he spoke hesitantly. "I was feeling frustrated. I did not want to let you down and it reminded me of when I couldn't learn stuff in the academy. I remembered how I felt so alone, how I wanted people to acknowledge me. I hated it, having to hide the pain of being alone, but I wouldn't let them see me hurt. Not anymore.

Akisame smiled sadly at the boy. No one with as much heart as Naruto should have ever had to feel that way, but in some respects that pain was his greatest strength. "Naruto what you just described is exactly how this technique works. You must reach out to sense your surroundings like you reached out for acceptance, while drawing in your presence like you did to hide your pain. If you can learn to do that you will be well on your way to attaining the technique."

Naruto's eyes widened and he returned to the exercise with a renewed sense of purpose. He would learn it and master it. Believe it.

* * *

Yamanaka Inoichi as proud of his daughter. He had been training her for a week now. Everyday they would wake up at five in the morning and commence a grueling training regimen designed to increase stamina, speed, and agility. Inoichi ran his daughter ragged for three hours straight, then he left her with scrolls of the family's secret techniques to study.

After he returned home from work at four, he would review the material and work with her on learning the jutsu for two hours before again running her into the ground. Ino never complained once through the ordeal even though she went to bed tired and sore. Ino had not touched her beauty products since the training started, she barely even bothered to wash her hair.

At one point on the third day, Ino's mother tried to step in, saying that Inoichi was pushing her to hard, but Ino told her in no uncertain terms that she asked for this and would never forgive her if she disrupted her training.

Inoichi called a halt to that days drills and Ino staggered up to him, albeit with more energy than she had on the first few days. "Good job Ino. Why don't you get washed up? Your mother should have dinner ready."

"Ok daddy," Ino replied. "Oh, I have good news. I think I found my role model."

Inoichi's interest was peaked. He didn't even know she had started looking for one yet. "let me guess, is it Yuuhi Kurenai?"

Ino shook her head. "No daddy, I thought about her, but I don't think she is quite my style. I found somebody way cooler. When I first met her I thought she was kind of creepy but I did some checking on her. She is really strong and even a lot of the male ninja are scared of her. Her fashion sense is a little more daring than I would try but I can't fault her style. But it's her attitude that I like the most. She has this whole 'I'm hot, I know it, and if you mess with me I will wreck you' sexy badass thing going on."

Inoichi felt tingles of increasing dread as he listened to the description. She could not possibly be talking about her could she? "Um, Ino, princess, who exactly are you talking about?"

Ino looked at him quizzically then rolled her eyes. Really, her dad could be a little overprotective at times. She could tell he was worried so she decided to put his mind at ease. "Don't worry daddy. I met her in the second exam, she was the proctor. Her name is Mitarashi Anko." Ino heard a thud and looked over to see her father lying prone on the ground. "Daddy? Daddy what's wrong? Mom help, dad has collapsed!"

Inoichi never heard this because, on hearing his daughter's choice of a role model, he promptly fainted.

* * *

A lone figure strode down the darkened hall. He moved through a door into a vast chamber supported by a ring of columns. Yakushi Kabuto knelt before the throne of his master.

"Have you made any progress in finding the location of Sasuke?" Orochimaru inquired.

Kabuto frowned, unsure as to ho well his lord would take the news. "Unfortunately no, Orochimaru-sama. No one seems to know where Hatake has taken the boy and I believe my cover may have been blown by my checking into his whereabouts."

Orochimaru smiled condescendingly. "No matter, I will simply take him after I dispose of my former sensei. Don't worry about your cover. Stay in the village, I need you as my representative to the Suna-nin. Should Konoha move to capture you, then you may leave. Now go"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." As Kabuto made his way out he heard the Snake Sannin whisper, "Soon old man you will pay for your crimes against me."

* * *

Late Sunday morning found Naruto strolling aimlessly through the village. He had spent the early part of the morning puttering around his apartment, cleaning and tending to his plants. He had a few hours to kill as he wasn't going to meet Hinata until lunch. After a few minutes he sighed and turned around.

"How many times do I have to tell you, rocks aren't square," he said in an exasperated tone of voice.

The cardboard box in the middle of the street shook and a burst of smoke billowed from underneath. In between choking coughs a young voice said, "You used too much flash powder."

The smoke cleared to reveal the Konohamaru corps in all their juvenile glory. "Hiya Boss, are we going to play ninja today?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto decided to mess with his protégés. He stood stroking his chin with a contemplative look on his face.

"Aww, come on boss. We hardly ever see you," Konohamaru complained.

"Yeah, no one else plays with us," Udon added.

"Please Naruto-niichan?" Moegi begged.

Naruto chuckled. Even if he hadn't been inclined to spend time with them, he could not resist their pleading, especially with Moegi making those sad puppy dog eyes at him. "Alright you three, lets head to the park."

There was an instant chorus of "yeah" before the trio took of with Konohamaru yelling back, "You're it Boss,".

Naruto loped lazily after them as they turned the corner. When he heard their sudden yells, he raced to catch up.

Naruto turned the corner to see Konohamaru in the grip of the make-up wearing ninja from Suna. Udon was on his butt staring up at him in fear with Moegi frozen behind him.

"Little brats like you should watch where you are going," the Suna nin growled.

"Let go of me you jerk," Konohamaru yelled as he flailed around trying to get away. "Wait until the Boss gets here, he'll show you!"

"Come on Kankuro, let's just go. We have things to do and you don't want Gaara to catch you," said the bored looking blonde next to him.

"It won't take but a second. I just want to show this uppity runt…"

"I suggest you put my friend down," Naruto interjected. Kankuro was visibly startled though he tried to hide it. He never even saw the blond walk up. His sister Temari just shook her head.

Kankuro eyed Naruto up and down. "You think you can make me punk?"

Temari looked Naruto over then told her brother, "That's the kid from the exam. You know, the one who beat the Inuzuka."

While she was talking, Naruto was attempting something he had only just started practicing. "Ok," he thought, "let's give this a shot." He relaxed and extended his awareness.

Kankuro smirked at him. "Yeah I remember. Why don't you try taking on a real shinobi?"

Naruto smiled at him. "Ok," he said, and then raced forward.

Kankuro thrust Konohamaru in front of him to use as a shield but Naruto simply planted his left foot and spun around between him and Temari, startling them both. As Kankuro turned around to try to keep track of him he felt a sharp pain in the arm holding the kid. He turned back to see Naruto spin around, placing Konohamaru behind him.

"What the hell? Oh that is it, I'm going to end this now. I don't have to worry about the exam, I'm already out." Kankuro yanked his concealed puppet off of his back, preparing to fight.

"You might want to reconsider," Naruto replied, "seeing as how you just assaulted the grandson of the Hokage. Besides, I think your other teammate who's been hiding in that tree might not like it."

Both Suna teens turned around wide-eyed as Gaara appeared in a swirl of sand. He gave his brother a hard look as he said, "Stop this foolishness now before I kill you."

Kankuro gulped. "Sure Gaara, I was just messing around. Isn't that right Temari?"

Temari gave him a dark look before agreeing with him. "That's right Gaara, you know how big an idiot Kankuro is."

Gaara looked over to Naruto who stared back. "You are Uzumaki Naruto yes?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that's me. I remember you too, Sabaku no Gaara," he said in an even tone.

"Maybe we will meet in the finals then. Show me your strength Uzumaki so that I can prove my existence," Gaara said as he led his siblings away.

Kankuro looked back at him shepherding his three charges away and muttered, "How the hell did he know Gaara was there?"

Gaara surprised them by saying, "There is something different about him. Mother cries out for his blood." The Temari and Kankuro both shuddered, knowing what fate awaited the blond nin.

* * *

Naruto walked back to his apartment contemplating his day. After encountering the sand siblings, he took the three shook up academy students out for ice cream. They then went to the park where they played ninja tag, hoping to take their mind off the earlier unpleasantness.

He met Hinata for lunch as planned. She was surprisingly reserved when the medic told her she would be able to go home soon. Naruto wondered at her lack of excitement to be going home but decided not to pry. They talked some more and played cards to pass the time. All too soon, the nurse entered to tell them visiting hours were ending. Naruto bid her good night and headed home.

Naruto smiled at the memory. It was nice having a friend. Sure Sakura and Sasuke were cool but they were also his team. They spent so much time together that it was hard to find things to talk about sometimes. It was nice to have someone new to talk with and to hear their stories.

Naruto sat on his bed with his books on sealing. There were only one more week until the finals and he still needed some more input from Jiraiya about his latest project.

* * *

"Crap, look out Suiren!" Naruto shouted.

"Water Release: Liquid Bullet." Suiren countered the fireball with the water technique as Tsubusu and Gamaheki both attacked the wily old ninja.

Jiraiya dodged to the side to avoid Tsubusu's kanabo as it crashed to the ground and leaped over Gamaheki's sideswipe with his axes. Naruto appeared from behind Tsubusu hoping to get behind the sage while he was focused on the other toad. As Jiraiya landed, Naruto went for a kidney strike only to have it batted aside by the older nin who simultaneously side kicked Gamaheki away.

Naruto tucked into a backwards roll and came out into a back flip. "Suiren, combo three." When the toad heard Naruto's call she immediately used the Violent Water Wave Technique, which Jiraiya dodged, soaking the ground in the process.

Jiraiya knew something was up when the to larger toads leaped away. Not taking any chances, he followed suit, leaving the ground right as three tagged kunai hit the water and a discharge sent electricity arcing through the puddle of water.

"I just had to teach him to make stronger shock tags and explosive notes," Jiraiya lamented. "Alright kid, that's enough for now." Over all he was pleased with Naruto's progress. He was working well with the toads and they had developed a few strategies that allowed them to work together as well as any rookie genin team.

Naruto thanked the toads and dismissed them. He wandered over to sit besides his teacher under a nearby tree. Naruto drank deeply from a water bottle. Who knew such an old fart could be so spry?

"So how are your little projects coming along?" Jiraiya asked.

"Great," Naruto replied enthusiastically. "I got the two trap tags down perfect, and the advice you gave me for the smoke bombs really helped. I should be ready for the finals in time."

Jiraiya tussled his hair, drawing a squawk of indignation. "Look kid," he said in a serious tone, "you've come really far. Much farther than most genin in your situation could ever have come. That's why I'm worried.

You have a lot of potential and I would hate to see it go to waste if you don't win. I hear that Hyuuga brat is one of the best they have seen in a generation. Just don't let it get you down if you lose to him. Just so you know, win or lose, I'm proud of you kid."

Naruto looked up at the darkening sky. He understood what Jiraiya was saying although he still did not like hearing it. "You know Ero-sennin, I know that you all worry about me and I appreciate it, in a way I kind of like it. I mean, if you worry about me it means you care, right?" Naruto smiled softly at the big man. "But I have to prove that I can do this. I can beat Neji and I can be a ninja even with my limitations. So just you watch, Uzumaki Naruto won't back down, I'm going to win and teach that jerk a lesson he'll never forget."

Jiraiya let out a boisterous laugh. "You know what gaki? I believe you. I think I actually feel sorry for that Hyuuga kid or anyone else dumb enough to stand in your way."

* * *

Sasuke felt a moment of exhilaration as he stared at his handy work. The large boulder had an eight inch deep crack that extended over two feet across its surface. After days of training, he had finally performed all three techniques to Kakashi's satisfaction.

Kakashi patted his students shoulder as he looked over his progress. "Good job, Sasuke. We'll work on your speed until it's time to head back."

Sasuke glanced over at the one eyed nin as he read his ever present book. "Sensei, can I ask you a question?" Kakashi peeked up at him and nodded. "How did you get that sharingan?"

Kakashi closed his book and stared out into space. He sat quiet for while and just as Sasuke started to say something he spoke.

"Uchiha Obito was my teammate. We didn't get along very well. I thought he was an annoying, loudmouth, screw up and he thought I was an uptight asshole. He was right. Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash. That was what he taught me."

Kakashi reached up, brushing the forehead protector that canted down to cover his eye. "I won't go into detail but by the time I learned that lesson it was too late. I lost my eye and Obito was killed. He gave me this eye as proof of our bond, our friendship and to protect our other teammate, Rin. I use this eye to honor his sacrifice by protecting the village, but I would trade it all away to get him back. Some prices are too high Sasuke."

Sasuke left him sitting there staring off into space. He had much to think over.

* * *

Sakura knew this was her last chance. Ibiki told he that this would be their last day together as he had things to over see for the finals. With only four more days until the exams resumed, that left her just enough time to put her plan into effect.

Ibiki stood waiting for her to make a move. "Are you getting cold feet girl? It would be nice if you attacked sometime today, if not I have other matters I could attend too."

Sakura refused to let the scar faced bastard taunt her into a premature attack. One of the things he had taught her was how getting your opponent angry or flustered threw them off their game. Of course he did it by demonstrating on her, but after the first few painful lessons she had quickly adapted.

She let his jibes flow over her, waiting for that perfect moment… there! Sakura's hands blurred through seals and she disappeared in a burst of smoke only to reappear right behind him. Ibiki whirled to block her punch and countered with a knife hand to her stomach. Sakura bent with the hit, taking he blow in order to jab his arm. "Temporary Paralysis Technique."

Ibiki froze up, unable to move. Sakura never knew how long Ibiki would stay under the effects of the jutsu since he like to vary the time, but she knew it wouldn't last long. She leaped away while hurling a double handful of shuriken. Ibiki moved just in time to dodge and see the girl disappear once more. She reappeared right in front of him, but Ibiki simply punched right through the image. He smiled when Sakura was not three feet behind the genjutsu as she would have been with the Displacement.

He felt a slight prick at his back. "I got you Ibiki-san," Sakura exclaimed, still holding the kunai to his back.

Ibiki stood once the pressure disappeared. "You used a bunshin instead of Displacement. You used my expectations against me. Good work."

Sakura beamed with pride. "Well you never said I could only use what you taught me. Besides, I promised myself that I would get you at least once before my training was over."

"Not bad, I wondered if you would figure it out. Use all the tools at your disposal to accomplish your objective." Ibiki turned away from her. "Good luck in the finals, remember to use what I taught you."

"Thank you Ibiki-sensei, for everything" she called as he walked away.

* * *

Jiraiya, Ibiki and Nara Shikaku met in the Sandaime's office for their final planning session. Hiruzen knocked out his pipe and leaned back in his chair. "Alright gentlemen, is there any new information? Have you finalized the plans for the exams?"

Ibiki spoke first. "Still no concrete evidence as to who killed Hayate but as he was following Yakushi Kabuto, I'm almost certain he was involved. I have some suspicions but nothing I can back up. Per your request, I have drafted new security protocols for the finals. Each team will check in with me to receive a sign and countersign the morning of the exams. Anyone not able to give the recognition code will be detained. I have been conferring with Shikaku and we have come up with a system where a few of the jounin and chuunin will be on standby in key positions to assist should it become necessary. Shikaku?"

Shikaku lifted his head from his hands. "There will be twelve units consisting of a jounin and two chuunin. All personnel will have radios to call in back up. Each ANBU team will check in at ten minute intervals. Should any team radio for help or fail to check in, then two of the nearest units will move to assist or investigate."

Sarutobi nodded. "What about you, Jiraiya? Any signs of Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Nothing definite, but I have come across some information that we need to discuss in private. Other than that, I'll stick around to see how far the gaki goes. I have high hopes for the kid."

"As do I," Sarutobi responded. "Very well, everything seems to be well in hand. Shikaku, Ibiki, I will see you later. Jiraiya you stay."

Shikaku and Ibiki made their way out of the office. Once the door was locked, Sarutobi activated the privacy seal.

"What have you found Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya leaned against the wall and gazed out of the window. "Tell me sensei, have you ever heard of Akatsuki?"

* * *

It was finally time. Naruto felt a kind of high as he prepared to leave for the stadium. It was time to prove his worth as a shinobi in front of everyone. He would succeed, there were no other options.

Naruto left his apartment and headed to the stadium. He weaved through the throng before deciding to take to the roof tops. He channeled chakra to his legs and took off in a blur of motion. He would have to thank Akisame again for showing him that trick. It wasn't the Body Flicker but it did work to give him quick burst of speed.

He dropped down once he reached the last house and made his way through the trees. He was nearly through the stadium entrance when he saw Hinata standing off to the side with a nervous look on her face. Naruto peeled of to go check on his friend.

"Whats up Hinata-chan?"

Hinata jumped and turned bright red when she saw it was him. "H-hello Naruto-kun. C-can I talk to you for a minute?"

Naruto frowned. He realized a while ago that Hinata stuttered when she was nervous, but she had not done that with since the second day they had hung out. "Sure Hinata-chan," he said as he led her off to the side. "What's this sabout?"

Hinata took a breath and looked into his eyes. "It's about the division between the Main and Branch families of the Hyuuga, Neji-niisan's pain and why he hates the members of the Main family."

* * *

**A/N: **Next chapter is the finals! I tried to strike a balance between showing the training and saving some surprises for the fights. I hope you enjoyed it. How do you like Ino's choice of role models? I think that it fits well with her personality. The ripples of change are growing and will grow further still.

Next chapter probably won't be up until just prior to Christmas. I intend to do all the fights in one chapter before the invasion commences. With that said I will see you next time.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I'm finally back! Sorry it took so long but life has a way of throwing curveballs at you. Needless to say I have been busy with other concerns. It's just been one thing after another. Still, I won't try to excuse my lateness. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the long awaited chapter.

**Naruto: Sealed Fate**

Chapter 11

Naruto entered the stadium to see most of the other examinees lined up behind the proctor who was facing the kage box. Naruto took a spot at the end next to Sakura. He looked over his teammate and smiled at the changes.

"Hey Sakura-chan, I like the new look."

Sakura blushed at the comment. Truthfully, she had hoped both Naruto and Sasuke would approve of the changes, minor though they were. Her long hair had been trimmed until it reached just past her shoulder blades and was pulled into twin braided pigtails. Her signature battledress had been altered, the sleeves removed and the length shortened to mid-thigh. Her forehead protector was now on a red band and sat proudly on her forehead. On her back was a new larger utility pouch. All in all she looked like she came ready for a fight.

Sakura looked around before turning back to Naruto. "You haven't seen Sasuke-kun have you Naruto?" She asked as she looked over her teammate. His outfit was the same, the only concession to the increased importance of the finals were an extra kunai holster strapped to each leg.

Naruto shook his head. "No but the teme will be here. There's no way he would miss this."

The proctor looked back over his shoulder. "Hey, stop looking around and face the customers. This is the main event and you guys are the stars."

Up in the kage box, Sarutobi called one of his guards. "Did you find Sasuke yet?"

"No Hokage-sama. We have ANBU teams out looking but no luck yet," the guard reported.

"I understand," he replied. Before he could comment further he turned towards a new presence. "Oh, welcome Kazekage-dono." The leader of Suna inclined his head. "You must be tired from your journey."

The Kazekage grinned viciously behind his mask. "Not at all, it is a good thing that it was held here this time. Although you're still young, the trip may have been too much for you Hokage-sama. Maybe it's time you decided on a fifth?"

Hiruzen took the shot at his age in stride and laughingly replied, "Please don't treat me like an old man. I intend to do this for at least another five years." He rose to his feet and approached the railing. "Well now, let's begin."

Orochimaru, wearing the façade of the Kazekage, smiled with sadistic satisfaction. "Your reign is about to come to a surprising end you old fool," he thought. "By the end of the day we shall see who the true kage is."

* * *

Back on the arena floor, the proctor saw his lord rise and give the signal. Nodding, he turned and addressed the crowd. "Thanks everyone for coming to the Hidden Leaf Chuunin Selection Exams." He paused to allow the cheers to die down. "I, Shiranui Genma, will be the proctor for this stage. We will now start the main tournament matches between the ten participants who made it through the preliminaries."

Before anyone could comment on the obvious lack of one of the competitors, there was a burst of smoke behind then. When the smoke cleared there stood two figures. Sasuke had an aggravated look on his face while Kakashi just looked around sheepishly. "Are we too late?"

Genma rolled his eyes at his colleague. "No Kakashi, but I see your bad habits are rubbing off on your student."

"Tch, don't blame me. If I hadn't threatened to go ahead without him we would've been even later," Sasuke stated.

Kakashi just smiled and waved at his students. "Good luck," he said before disappearing.

Genma shook his head as Sasuke joined the other chuunin hopefuls. "Anyway, this is the final test. The arena is different but the rules are the same. You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. If I determine that the fight is over I will step in and stop it. You got that?" He paused to make sure they all understood. "Good, now the first fight will be Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuuga Neji. Those two stay here while the rest of you go to the waiting room."

Naruto lost his smile as his smile as he squared off against the Hyuuga. Neji just stared blankly at him. Naruto glared and raised his fist. "I haven't forgot the promise I made. You are definitely going down."

Genma looked over the two as called, "Ready". Neji activated his byakugan as Naruto summoned his staff from one of the scrolls at his waist. "Go!"

Both genin stood patiently, each waiting for the other to make a move. Neji chuckled sardonically after a minute of waiting. "It will be fun to watch you fall apart when you discover reality. That's what makes it all worth while."

Naruto sneered as he stared forward, slowly spinning his staff. He knew what Neji was up to and the old him might have fallen for it. The new and improved Naruto was a much better ninja and there was no way he would let this jerk bait him. Naruto suddenly rocketed towards the smirking Hyuuga only to stop just out of his reach and unleash several jabbing strikes with his staff. Neji, his sneer still in place, simply leaned back out of the way of Naruto's attacks. Neji finally saw his chance and instead of dodging he parried with his left hand, knocking the staff to the side and moved forward to counter with his right. Naruto threw himself into a diving shoulder roll, just barely avoiding being hit. He came to his feet with Neji hot on his heels.

Naruto spun around, swinging his staff in a horizontal arc. Neji leaped over the swing and he likewise spun around to deliver a back kick at the blonds' head. Naruto arched his back, bending backwards nearly in half while keeping his feet stuck to the ground with chakra. He snapped back up bring his staff up in an overhand chop. Neji slipped to the side to avoid the blow and backpedaled as Naruto went on the attack with a combination of swings designed to give himself some space.

The Hyuuga prodigy shook his head. "For all your flailing around you have accomplished nothing. There is nothing you can do that these eyes will not see through. It is time to end this farce, your fate was decided at birth and nothing can change it."

It was all Naruto could do to keep from rolling his eyes. "Condescending prick," he muttered. Still, he realized he had to change tactics as the combination of Neji's speed, doujutsu, and taijutsu experience were too great to overcome. Still, it wasn't like he hadn't planned for this.

Neji studied his opponent. It was truly inconceivable that the young upstart really thought he could defeat him. Honestly, he had less going for him than that fool Lee. The only thing that gave the Hyuuga prodigy the slightest bit of concern was the boy's strange chakra. Neji had never heard of someone who seemed to have two different chakras running through their pathways, but so far it appeared to serve no special purpose. "No matter," Neji thought, "it is time to end this farce." Neji slid his feet apart as he entered his clan stance. "It is unfortunate for you that you are within the field of my divination," Neji announced. "Eight Trigrams 64 Palms."

Naruto had no time to react as Neji was suddenly right in front of him. "Two palms." Naruto felt twin jabs in his chest. "Four palms." Naruto crossed his arms defensively, taking two hits, one on each forearm.

"Shit." he thought, "I have to get the hell out of here." Naruto channeled chakra to his legs and leaped back even as he heard Neji's call of "Eight palms". He winced as he felt a strike to his right arm, a jab to his side, and two to his left leg. Naruto swiftly cleared twenty feet with his chakra enhanced jump, thankfully taking him out of his foe's range.

Neji scowled. "I will give you credit for escaping my Eight Trigrams, however…" Neji broke off his comment as he watched the thread of red chakra in Naruto's pathways seep through the blue chakra and pool at all the chakra points he had closed. "What? Impossible!" Incredibly the red chakra was forcing open the closed points.

* * *

Several of the spectators were equally as astounded. Hyuuga Hiashi watched as one of the greatest expressions of his clans taijutsu style were negated by the village pariah. "That a branch house member could surpass the main family… and that boy. It has to be the power of that beast."

Kiba turned to his teammate when he heard Hinata gasp. "What? What happened?"

"Naruto-kun, he's healing! His chakra points are opening," Hinata exclaimed.

"Are you kidding me? How the hell can he do that?" Kiba's eyes widened. "Then that means he might be able to pull it off." Kiba leaped to his feet. "Go Naruto, kick his ass!"

The Hokage was similarly surprised. "It would seem there is more to the nine tails 'gift' then we first believed. What else are you capable of Naruto," Hiruzen wondered.

* * *

Naruto groaned through the pain of his closed off chakra points being forced open. Still, he couldn't complain about it. "Time to kick this up a notch," he said with a feral grin. Naruto's hands blurred as he reached for the kunai pouches on either leg, grabbed three in each hand and hurled them at Neji, all in one smooth motion.

Neji dodged the first barrage of projectiles but Naruto did not let up. Overcoming his shock, Neji sneered once more as he grabbed his own kunai and began to deflect the flying metal. "You think this will stop me? You should bow to your inevitable fate."

This was what Naruto was waiting for. Even as he kept up the stream of kunai, he reached into the extra holsters he wore to add several of his special kunai to the mix. Unfortunately, Neji kept his byakugan active so he could see the lightning charka enveloping some of the kunai thrown at him. The Hyuuga dodged the electrified projectiles even as he deflected the others. Naruto took that moment of preoccupation to palm two smoke bombs and throw them between him and his opponent.

"You can not be serious," Neji remarked, as a cloud of smoke enveloped them both. "This changes nothing. All you are doing is delaying your inevitable fate." He calmly walked forward as he watched Naruto pull something from his utility pouch that he kept bunched in his fist. Neji sneered, "Let me inform you of a crucial fact. I can still see you."

Naruto snarled as he yanked something over his head. "It doesn't matter asshole!" Naruto threw down two more smoke bombs.

"That was foolish, Uzumaki. Your trick didn't work the first…" Neji was cut of as he screamed in severe pain. The crowd watched perplexed as Neji stumbled out of the cloud clutching at his face. Many in the audience gasped as his hands came away from his face. Neji's precious eyes were red, watery and swollen. His nose was running and he fell to his knees coughing and gagging.

Several moments passed as Neji pulled himself together and staggered to his feet. All watched carefully as Naruto strolled out of the dissipating cloud with goggles covering his eyes and a wet rag over his nose and mouth. Naruto snatched off the rag as he walked forward. "Funny thing about smoke bombs, when you add the boiled down extract of habanero chili peppers mixed with oil they become excellent tear gas bombs. You learn all sorts of things when you spend your time as a prankster. Go figure."

Neji could barely make out the younger genin but he definitely felt the blows to his chest and face. However Neji was not heralded as a taijutsu genius for nothing. He was able to block most of the blows even with his diminished sight. When Naruto activated the conversion seals in his gloves, some sixth sense told Neji he was in danger. Quickly gathering his chakra, he unleashed his ace. "Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation," the Hyuuga screamed as a bubble of chakra expanded outward and blasted Naruto away from him. As Naruto flew twenty-five feet through the air, he flipped around, righting himself. He touched down in a three point stance sliding until his chakra coated feet finally halted his momentum. Naruto checked his position and smiled when he saw the kunai seven feet in front of him. He couldn't have planned this better.

"You think you have it all worked out don't you Neji," Naruto questioned as he stepped forward. "You think you have the right to decide who is a loser? You have no right to decide someone's worth. It's time for me to teach you a lesson." Naruto stopped as he finished talking.

Neji's vision had finally started to clear up and he could see Naruto across the distance waiting patiently for his next move. "You should have tried to finish me when you had the chance. No matter. Since you have come this far then I will tell you the Hyuuga's destiny…" He was cut off by the double handful of shuriken the blond sent his way.

"I didn't ask for your life story. Lets finish this, because I have better things to do."

Neji's eyebrows twitched in rage. No one had been able to crack his impeccable calm like the boy in front of him. He raced forward yelling, "Your arrogance has sealed your fate Uzumaki!" When Neji reached a point six feet away from him, Naruto threw a kunai with an active explosive note trailing behind it. The Hyuuga's highly trained instincts kicked in and he leaped back while throwing a kunai that sheared through the burning paper.

Naruto's eyes lit up and, before his foe's feet could touch the ground, he had crouched down and channeled chakra down through the ninja wire tied to the kunai stuck in the ground at his feet. Neji reached the ground right as the two storage scrolls hidden in the dirt on either side of him released a cloud of metal chaff into the air around him. Before he could react, Naruto triggered his conversion seals and sent a massive burst of lightning chakra blazing down the wire. The lightning leaped up, arcing through the chaff and the surprised Hyuuga.

Neji could barely even scream as the electricity coursed through his body causing his muscles to lock up. Finally it stopped and he fell twitching to the ground. Naruto walked sedately to the beaten genin and crouched over him grabbing a handful of his hair. Naruto yanked his head back until he could look Neji in the eyes. "You want to talk about destiny?" Naruto's calm voice echoed across the arena. "According to you I was destined to lose this fight and yet here we are. You say Hinata-chan is destined to be a loser and yet she pleaded with me to understand your pain. Oh yeah, she told me all about your family and the crap you went through and about that stupid seal. Honestly it sucks. I can't truthfully say I know how much it hurts that your dad died a long time ago, but to decide that everything is fated is a huge mistake. I know how unfair life can be. A lot of people might have thought that I was destined not to be a ninja because of my accident, but look at me now. The dead last has beaten the prodigy." Naruto let him down gently and stood up. "The only fate is the one you make for your self."

Naruto nodded to the proctor who stood off to one side. Genma walked over and crouched down to check on Neji. The proctor had worked with a few Hyuuga over the years and so he knew about the caged bird seal. The last thing the Hyuuga heard before he finally passed out was Genma whispering, "Even a captured bird, if it's smart enough, will try to open the cage with it's beak. Never giving up it's desire to fly free in the sky." The proctor stood up and shouted, "The winner of the first match is Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto was surprised to hear many in the audience clapping and cheering for him. All his life all he ever wanted was to be acknowledged and now, finally, it was starting to happen. He smiled up at the crowd and waved graciously before heading off to the waiting area.

* * *

Certain individuals watching the proceedings had different reactions. Hinata sat next to Kiba who was jumping up and down cheering. The shy girl had a sad smile on her face. She hoped that her cousin could eventually find peace and maybe her family could begin to heal. But more than anything she was proud of her friend Naruto. He had overcome so much and she vowed to herself that she would follow his example.

Hiashi sat introspective after listening to the two young fighters. For Neji to be carrying that much hatred and bitterness after all that time, he shook his head. "Hizashi, have I failed you so badly?" he thought. "Maybe it is time for him to know the truth." Hiashi rose and turned to where his younger daughter watched with rapt attention. "Stay here Hanabi, there is something I must attend to."

Kakashi smiled at his colleague Gai and stated, "That's one for me. Do you want to call off the bet Gai?"

Gai just gave him a thumbs up and a gleaming smile. "I congratulate you on your student's youthfulness Kakashi, but you have yet to see my precious Lee or the beautiful Tenten. They are both in the Springtime of Youth!"

Kakashi looked up from his book puzzled. "Huh? You say something?"

Anything else said was drowned out in Gai's rant about cool, hip attitudes.

In the Hokage box, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat back and smiled at the outcome. Many had doubted the young blond. To be quite truthful, Hiruzen had his own worries but once again Naruto had surpassed all expectations.

The 'Kazekage' turned to his former mentor. "I must say Hokage-sama, that young man was truly impressive. It was my understanding that he was unable to use jutsu. To have come so far in so little time is rare in one so new to shinobi life."

Sarutobi chuckled, "Indeed, but for those of us who know him it should come as no surprise. Naruto is one of Konoha's most unpredictable ninja. I have high hopes for that young man."

The disguised Orochimaru narrowed his eyes imperceptibly. "I see, that means he is one we should look out for in the future."

* * *

Back in the arena, Genma was calling down the next combatants. "Now for the next match, Haruno Sakura versus Nara Shikamaru. Both combatants come down."

Sakura grinned nervously at Naruto's cheerful encouragement. Even Sasuke gave her a half smile and a thumbs up. She tried to psych herself up as she made her way down. "You can do this. This is what you trained for. Get a grip Haruno." Sakura stepped out into the field and saw all the people and decided to hell with it. "Cha, let's get this show on the road!"

Shikamaru leaned on the rail as he looked down at his former classmate. "What the hell is she so eager for. This sucks, I hate this." The Nara was so caught up in his mental pity party he never heard Naruto creep up behind him, not that he would have anyway. The next thing he knew he was being launched over the rail and falling to the ground below.

"Go for it Shikamaru," Naruto yelled down with an evil smile.

Shikamaru lay in a heap at the base of the wall, staring up at that smile on that stupid blond face. "I think I hate that guy, I wish he'd die," he muttered. Even as the proctor called for him to get up and the crowd grew irritable, he just lie there and watched the clouds go by.

The more time passed the more Sakura's eyebrow began to twitch. Here she was anxious to start her fight and the jerk was just laying there. It was really pissing her off. "I'll teach him," she thought. The pink-haired girl turned with a deceptively sweet smile to Genma. "Oh proctor-san, has the match started?"

Genma snorted, not fooled in the least. "Sure, if he doesn't want to fight it's his funeral. Match two begin."

Shikamaru wondered what they would do if he just lie there, when he heard the proctor call the beginning of the match. Before he could move he felt a massive wave of killing intent as a shadow crossed his view. He cowered back as much as he was able from his position on the ground. Standing there towering over him, with her hands on her hips and her favorite skillet clutched in her fist was his mother.

"Nara Shikamaru, how dare you lay there when you have a fight. I swear you are just as lazy as your father. I have half a mind to knock some sense into that pineapple head of yours, but you know what, I have a better idea." Shikamaru groaned at the evil look in his mother's eye. "I think what you need is a nice girl to whip you into shape. I think Inoichi's daughter would be perfect."

The Nara shuddered and his eyes widened comically before he shook his head and his hand snapped into the ram seal while he flared his chakra, as he screamed out, "Release damn it, Release!" The illusion faded just in time for him to roll out of the way of Sakura's descending axe kick. Shikamaru leaped to his feet while throwing a few shuriken he had palmed during his roll to dissuade the fiery kunoichi from further pursuit.

Sakura threw her own set of shuriken at him in an effort to stay on the offensive. "I have to keep him unbalanced. He's smart but lazy, keep him running and don't let him use his family's technique or at least make sure it doesn't matter if he does," she thought. Sakura's mind raced. On one hand, she knew she couldn't use all of her tricks since she faced Naruto in the next round. One the other hand she actually had to beat Shikamaru for that to be an issue.

Shikamaru ran towards a grove of trees further along the outside of the arena. Sakura went through a flurry of hand seals in response before disappearing. Shikamaru skidded into a defensive stance when he suddenly found his way blocked by four knuckle cracking Sakura. Each smiled viciously at him as they called out in unison. "Why don't you just give up? This has to be way too troublesome for you. Wouldn't you rather be laying in the shade while watching the clouds float by?" The four suddenly rushed him and each jabbed him with their index and middle fingers. Instead of being paralyzed, Shikamaru burst into smoke only to reveal a log in his place. The four turned as one to the one place Sakura knew the cagey Nara would go, staring at the wooded area they had tried to keep him away from.

Shikamaru crouched down, hidden from view behind one of the trees. He pulsed his chakra to dispel the illusion but all it did was remove the shadows from underneath the feet of all but one copy on the end. Sakura, seeing a shadow streaking towards her, decided she needed to flush her opponent out of those trees. Running from the incoming dark patch, she pulled out three kunai with explosive notes. Shikamaru's shadow reached her just as she started her throw. To the Nara's surprise the technique failed with Sakura suddenly appearing three feet to the left of her previous position and her kunai were released to fly unhindered into the patch of trees.

Shikamaru ran out of the trees only just outpacing the blasts. Unfortunately for him, the spread pattern of the explosions left him with leaving the trees as his only option. If only she would only give him time to think, he could plan his way out of this. He kept running until he was in the shadow of the giant wall of the stadium. He watched as Sakura backed out of the range of his Shadow Imitation.

The two genin watched each other across the expanse between them. Shikamaru crouched down in his favorite thinking position as he evaluated his next moves. Sakura was weighing her options trying to decide what to use and what to hold back. It was Shikamaru who acted first. He used an explosive note throw between them to hide his next move. As the dust settled, Sakura saw the Nara using his signature technique. It stopped just short of where she stood. It was only when she saw a round shadow suddenly appear in front of her that she noticed his jacket and forehead protector were missing. She jumped back while looking up to she them floating in the air as a makeshift parachute.

Sakura knew she only had seconds before she was caught so she put a risky plan into motion. Sakura used the Body Flicker and reappeared right in front of her surprised adversary. Even as she was trapped by the surrounding shadow, her extended fingers jabbed into his shoulder and released a pulse of chakra freezing him with the Temporary Paralysis Technique. Neither genin could move as each was held immobile by the others jutsu. Finally, after several minutes, Shikamaru raised his hand forcing Sakura to mimic him. Sakura readied herself to use her trump card but found it unnecessary when he sighed and said, "That's it, I give up".

Everyone was speechless and wondering why he would forfeit when he still had her captured. Shikamaru knew the only way to save himself a lot of grief was to explain himself. "Tch, what a drag. Look ,Sakura that last counter was pretty good. Normally I should still be able to hold you for several more minutes but I'm all out of chakra". Surely enough, Sakura found she could now begin to move freely. "The strain of holding the Shadow Imitation while trying to break your paralysis jutsu burned up my chakra faster than normal. Beside, you were right, I would rather be sitting under a tree watching the clouds.",

Genma could barely contain a laugh at the boy's last statement. "Winner of the second match, Haruno Sakura," he shouted. "For the third match, Rock Lee versus Sabaku no Gaara. Report to the floor."

* * *

"Yosh!"

Everyone looked to the waiting area to see Rock Lee was crouched on the railing. The eager genin leaped to the ground and raced over to the proctor. Lee stood waiting as Gaara appeared in a swirl of sand. The two genin stood eyeing each other up.

As soon as the proctor called for the match to begin, Lee took several hopping steps back and crouched down. Everyone looked on wondering what he was doing. Lee removed two weight sets from beneath his leg warmers and stood up. "Gai-sensei said I should take this fight seriously so he gave permission to go all out!"

From in the stands there came a cry, "That's right Lee, let your flames of youth explode!"

If anyone wondered what good losing a little weight would do, then they were astonished when Rock Lee twirled in place and tossed the packs behind him. The twin packets hit the ground with an explosive crash leaving two several foot deep craters in the ground. The green clad genin smiled at the unimpressed Suna-nin. Rock Lee turned slightly, placing his right arm behind his back and holding his left arm forward, palm up. "Yosh, let us begin Gaara-san!" Lee's fist shot up in front of his face to snatch something from midair. He smiled as he dropped the cork from the gourd that Gaara wore on his back. Before the cork could hit the ground, Rock Lee vanished… only to reappear with his fist inches from the face of a now wide-eyed Gaara whose sand had only just blocked it. Lee vanished again only to be seen kicking at the shocked sand ninja's opposite side. Once again his attack was only just stopped by the sand swirling around Gaara's feet. It was a scene that replayed itself over and over. Most of the spectators only saw the leaf-nin when he was in the midst of an attack. All Gaara could do was spin around, trying to track the speedy genin while his sand seemed to block without his conscious direction.

Finally the stalemate broke when a kick from Rock Lee launched Gaara through the air. Once Gaara skidded to a stop, he staggered to his feet with his back bowed hiding his face. Sand poured from the gourd on his back to swirl around him in an eight foot circle. Many were startled when he threw his head back and revealed a face half covered in sand with a manic grin and insane eyes. Tendrils of sand rose up from the circle to cover his face until it was once again smooth and stoic.

Lee looked on but would not let this set back stop him. Lee straightened and slowly began to unwind some of the bandages that wrapped his hands and forearms. When there was a three foot length hanging from each hand he leaned forward and folded his arms in front of his face. Lee had a plan, if the sand covered the area around his foe, then he would apply overwhelming force from above.

Lee rushed forward only to veer off a few feet from the perimeter of sand. All anyone could see of him was a circle of dust that surrounded Gaara as he stood unimpressed. That changed when Lee appeared crouched beneath him, his foot suddenly shooting up to crash unhindered into Gaara's jaw. Only the weight of his sand kept the sand-nin from being propelled more than a few feet, but Lee was unperturbed. Bracing his hands against the ground he launched himself up and proceeded to force Gaara into the air with a series of punishing kicks. Had this been a month prior, the tremendous strain on the young genin's body might have caused him to flinch in pain but his venerable teacher had spent that time training his body to endure the stress he would put it through. All this meant was that Gaara was left with no opportunity to escape before he was wrapped up Lee's bandages, upended and spun around as they both plummeted to the field below.

"Secondary Lotus," cried Lee as they descended.

It was not many who noticed the sand still on the ground pooling underneath them right before impact. Lee landed right outside of the eruption of dust that covered the crash area, peering inside to see if he had finished his adversary. The dust cleared to expose a large pit half filled with sand and Gaara laying in the middle. Gaara slowly stood, his breath coming in gasp. The sand armor that covered his form was cracked and pitted and he glared at Lee with malicious glee.

The sand in the crater withered and lashed out at Lee who, even with his body wracked with pain, was just fast enough to dodge. Gaara formed a hand seal and the sand retracted until it formed a large tidal wave that lunged forward to bury the green clad genin. Lee was able to barely stay ahead of the surging sand until it swept back to it's master gathering itself for the next attack. Gaara fired shot after shot of his sand and while Lee was able to evade most of them, those that got through exacted their toll on his body causing him to stumble and reel in pain.

However, it is said that the lotus in Konoha blooms twice. "Watch me Gai-sensei, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun as I protect my way of the ninja," Lee yelled. The air in his vicinity distorted and rushed upwards sending his hair flailing in the updraft. His chakra became visible as it flared around him. Lee's veins bulged and his skin became red as it flooded with oxygenated blood. There was only one way he could finish his fight. "Gate of Life, open!"

* * *

Kakashi stared flabbergasted at his friend. "Gai, how could you teach a genin something that dangerous? I've lost faith in you."

Gai glared back at his rival. "What do you know about that boy? He has a dream that he must protect! He is willing to risk it all for that dream, how can I do any less?"

Kakashi shook his head. He could only hope that this would not end in tragedy.

* * *

Lee wasn't finished. He knew he had to end this and it had to be decisive. While Gai had increased his ability to withstand the stress of the Lotus and the opening of the Gates, he was still nowhere near his sensei's proficiency and it still was a massive strain on his maturing body. This would be finished, one way or the other, in the next few minutes. Focusing his concentration he continued. "Gate of Pain, open!" Lee locked on to his target and disappeared. Less than a second later, Gaara seemed to vanish as well only to be seen suspended in midair. Very few could see Lee moving but all those assembled could tell the only thing keeping Gaara aloft was the constant barrage of blows from the juiced up genin.

Gaara's sand could not keep up with the speed with which Lee punished his foe. Even the Gaara's reconstructed Armor of Sand crack under the pressure of the brute force Lee exerted.

"Impossible, I can't block," thought the Suna-nin. "My sand can't keep up."

Then Gaara heard the words that sent an unfamiliar chill down his spine. "Gate of Limit, open." All Gaara could feel was pain as a fist slammed into his gut, finally shattering his protective layer and cracking two of his ribs. He was sent rocketing away from the sand that struggled to protect him. A hand grabbed his sash before he could fly too far. Lee flexed his arm, yanking Gaara back to him for the coup de grace. "Primary Lotus," he screamed.

Spittle ejected from Gaara's mouth as Lee's fist and foot found there home in his abdomen. With his sand left behind the only thing that saved the sand genin was his gourd dissolving into sand to cushion the blow. Gaara rolled over clutching his stomach as he finished regurgitating his breakfast.

Rock Lee was only in slightly better condition with the effects of opening the gates having worn off. He was stunned to see that his opponent was still not out of the fight but he was at a loss as to how to finish him off. He was already teetering on the edge of exhaustion. That sand was truly the ultimate defense.

Gaara lay in his sand quaking with rage. He would not let his existence end, no. He would crush all who stood in his way. He fought past the pain and willed his sand to rise up and take the form of a hand. He gestured and sent it rushing to extinguish the life of his enemy. Lee saw the oncoming sand and tried to flee on legs that could barely support his weight. It was close and the sand almost had him but he was able to push through into a rolling tumble that carried him out from under the grasping sand. Lee dragged his tortured body to his feet even though his muscles screamed in agony. He stood gasping for breath as his vision swam and in full view of everyone that had witnessed his amazing performance, his body finally gave out and he stood unconscious on his feet, refusing to yield even in defeat. The only thing that saved him from certain death as the sand closed in was a blur that resolved into Genma.

"The match is over. Rock Lee cannot continue. The winner is Sabaku no Gaara."

"No."

Genma stared at the Suna genin. "It's over. I've already called the match. You've won. If you continue, you will be disqualified and detained."

Gaara snorted. "I don't care about your exam. Mother thirst for his blood!" Gaara's sand drew around him and all those watching waited to see if he would attack.

"No, Gaara. Please stop."

The redhead looked up to see Temari floating down on her fan. "If you try to interfere, I will kill you," he stated.

Temari trembled in barely restrained fear. Their village had a lot riding on the events of today. If Gaara wasn't placated, everything could be ruined. She decided to try a different tactic. "Don't you wish to face that Uzumaki kid and the Uchiha? They won't let you face them if you get disqualified. Please, just let this one go."

Gaara contemplated her words and even though his mother cried out for blood now, he could see their wisdom. Still, he was growing impatient. "Very well, Temari. I will wait but not for long." He stared at his sister before smiling cruelly. "You will forfeit your match against the Uchiha. If you don't I will use your blood to satisfy mother."

Temari felt her mouth run dry. She could not believe her brother would do this to her but she realized she had no choice. Gaara would not hesitate to carry through on his threat. She swallowed her resentment and nodded. "Alright Gaara. Whatever you say."

Gaara nodded and without further ado disappeared in a swirl of sand. When he reappear in the waiting area all the genin made sure to give him a wide berth as he stared intensely at Sasuke and Naruto.

* * *

"It appears that your son could learn some self-restraint," Sarutobi commented.

Orochimaru seethed at the jibe. The little unstable whelp had nearly put a crimp in his plans. "Yes. I had thought he had better control of himself. I will see to it that he manages himself better in the future," he replied.

"See that you do," the Hokage admonished.

* * *

Genma, seeing the situation resolved, handed Rock Lee over to the medics before continuing with the exam. "Next match, Sabaku no Temari versus Uchiha Sasuke. Report to the field."

Sasuke glanced back over his shoulder where Gaara watched him as he walked down the stairs. He walked up the proctor to see Temari standing with her head down.

Genma shook his head and called for the match to begin.

"I give up," Temari said through clenched teeth.

Genma just looked at her. "You really mean to go through with this. Are you sure? It's your match so I won't stop you."

Sasuke could clearly read the anger and humiliation in her rigid posture. "Yes, I give up. Just call it."

Genma sighed, "Fine then. Sabaku no Temari forfeits. Uchiha Sasuke wins."

Some in the crowd booed as the young woman left the stadium floor, but many felt sorry for her. Naruto in particular glared at the redhead and vowed that if Sasuke didn't beat him, he would definitely kick his ass. You just don't treat family that way.

Sasuke didn't like winning like this. He was a warrior. He wanted to test his mettle against the best and he could tell the Suna girl was strong. However, if it meant he was one step closer to truly testing his strength then he would put aside his disgust and deal with it.

* * *

"Final match of the first round, Tenten versus Aburame Shino. Come on down."

Both contestants headed for the arena floor with Shino strolling along unhurriedly.

The two genin faced off in front of the proctor. The two took a minute to size each other up after he called for the match to begin.

It was Shino who acted first. The quiet Aburame started forward causing Tenten to jump back. The bun-haired girl quickly retrieved several shuriken and threw them at him. Shino halted in his pursuit and dodged to the side to avoid the projectiles. This gave Tenten the time she needed to pull out a scroll and leap into the air. The young kunoichi rose high, unfurling the scroll as she went. Multiple symbols could be seen drawn along the length of the scroll, and at the height of her jump she began to spin around, her fingers brushing the symbols and unsealing weapons that she hurled at the Aburame.

Shino valiantly attempted to dodge or deflect the weapons but Tenten's aim proved to be too accurate. Two kunai, a kama , and a short handled axe found their way to his torso. Tenten's smile of accomplishment shrank as the bug user burst into smoke to reveal a charred log impaled with her weapons. She looked over to the remains of the trees off to the side to see him run from cover and head directly towards her.

The kunoichi decided to go all out and end this before he could use the insects his clan were most famous for. Keeping a calm eye on the approaching genin, Tenten quickly kneeled down and pulled out two scrolls. She placed them down on either side of her and quickly made the hand seals for her most deadly technique. The scrolls shot up releasing twin plumes of smoke that took the forms of dragons that twisted sinuously around each other. Tenten once again leaped into the air as the smoke dissipated to expose the two unrolled scrolls. With even greater speed than before, Tenten unsealed the arms stored in the scrolls and hurled them at Shino. The deadly metal rained down on him so quickly he had not a moment to react.

A multitude of weapons pierced his body, stunning the audience. No one was more surprised than Tenten when he dissolved into a swarm of insects that flew right for her. Shino walked calmly from behind the charred remnants of a tree as his kikaichu descended on the hapless girl.

"It's over," Shino stated as he stood with his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "How do I know this? In less than a minute, my kikaichu will have drained you of all your chakra. Give up while you still have the opportunity."

Tenten, however, was not out of the fight yet. The kunoichi pulled a small canister from her pouch and pulled a pin inserted in the top. The canister released a burst of greenish yellow smoke that sent the insects fleeing back to their host.

"The fight's not over yet," she exclaimed. Tenten decided to capitalize on the Aburame's bugs being out of commission by unsealing a pair of tonfas. She took off towards Shino intent on finishing him off before the insects could recover.

Shino drew kunai from his jacket and braced himself as he clashed with the female genin. The two strained against each other but ultimately Shino's superior strength allowed him to force her back. Tenten didn't let this discourage her, instead she went back in using the long shaft of the tonfa that lay along her forearms to block while jabbing forward with the shorter end. Shino, who held his kunai in an ice pick grip, fought in a style reminiscent of a preying mantis: with sweeping strikes and raking backswings.

The two fought back and forth with Shino's greater strength and economy of movement balanced against Tenten's greater facility with weapons and superior speed. Unfortunately for the stoic Aburame, Tenten's advantages proved to be the victor. Catching one of Shino's backhands with her right tonfa, the kunoichi quickly jabbed him in the wrist with the other, causing him to release the weapon while she crouched to avoid his follow up strike. Tenten' quickly spun around in an attempt to sweep his legs that he hopped over. Tenten completed her spin and used the momentum to strike out with both weapons simultaneously, connecting with Shino's gut. He released a grunt as he stumbled back to put space between them.

Tenten stood, her chest heaving after the exchange. She couldn't understand why she was tiring so quickly until she saw several insects drift slowly to the ground. She looked up at the Aburame in surprise. He stood not much worse for wear despite the blows he had received. "How? I poisoned your kikaichu. How could they possibly have recovered so fast?"

"You thought to use poison to remove the threat of my hive did you not? An admirable strategy," Shino stated. "However, we Aburame have bred our kikaichu to be resistant to most commonly used insecticides. While you did slow them down, our extended melee battle allowed them the time needed to begin draining your chakra. I'm afraid this match is over for you."

He raced forward, blocking her reverse crescent kick cold with his forearm. Shino retaliated with a brutal elbow to her diaphragm that stole her air and dropped her to her knees. Tenten gasped for air as her vision started to dim. Shino carefully walked behind her and grabbed one of her arms while placing his remaining kunai to her throat. "It was a superb effort on your part Tenten-san. You do yourself credit as a kunoichi, however, I believe that it is time to call the match. Do you not agree proctor-san?"

Genma waited to see if she would be able to free herself but she could not. With no choice left he called it. "Aburame Shino is the winner."

* * *

Kakashi turned to Gai, who had returned from checking on Rock Lee midway through the match. "Mah mah, your genin did extremely well Gai, but they seem to have had bad luck in their match ups," the jounin stated as he smiled while waving his favorite orange book at his friend.

Gai stroked his chin in contemplation before turning to his rival with a thumbs up and sparkling smile. "Yes, Kakashi your students burn with the fiery power of youth. You shall have your most unyouthful literature as promised. This just means I must increase their training so that they may truly blossom in the Springtime of Youth! If my genin do not pass the exam then I will climb the Hokage monument with one arm and if I cannot do that then a will run around the village 500 times. What do you say to that, Kakashi?"

Kakashi had been waiting for this. In a ritual that was nearly as old as their friendship, he looked up from his book and asked, "Hmm, you say something?"

Of course Gai did not disappoint, as he completed their tradition by yelling out, "Curse you Kakashi and your cool, hip attitude!"

Next to them, Asuma and Kurenai could only shake their heads and laugh. It was hard for someone like Kakashi to truly express any real emotions in public but anyone who knew the duo and knew of their long friendship could easily interpret their exchange.

"Your my best friend, Gai, and I'm sorry about your team."

"I always will be, my brother and thank you."

* * *

Genma waited for the cheering audience to settle down before announcing, "this ends the first round of the Chuunin Selection Exams. There will be a thirty minute break until the next round begins."

* * *

**A/N: **How was that? This was a pain in the posterior to write since I had already written 75% of the chapter before my computer got as virus and I lost the whole thing. Of course that meant rewriting it but I honestly think it turned out better this time anyway. Writing an action intensive chapter was really hard. I try to strike a balance between description and brevity to avoid getting bogged down and cover for the fact that I have little martial arts experience.

A few people have wondered about Naruto's relative lack of power at this point. All I will say is that I'm trying to boost him up organically so he doesn't get uber-powerful overnight. There has to b a solid progression to his growth. And don't worry he will be gaining a sword but not until midway through the time skip. Please just bare with me and I promise that he'll get to be the true badass we all want him to be. Until next time, later.


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