Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Rubies & Sapphires ❯ Jounin Exams, First Test ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Specula

A/N: Hazzah! I now have a working spell checker! `Burns old word processor' I don't know why it didn't work, but it even stopped others who were trying to be my Beta from spell checking. I'll never use Open Office again…

Also, my monitor died… Can't complain really. I got to use a 30 inch TV with stereo speakers for my new temporary monitor! Yay!

From what I've been able to work out, psychotic Jinchurikis are in the vast minority. Naruto's not psychotic, neither was Yugito. It seems that Gaara was the only psychotic one due to the fact that Shukaku made him unable to sleep. Also, it seems that Jinchurikis tend to be the sons/daughters of the Yondaime Kage of their village. Gaara was the son of Yondaime Kazekage and Naruto was the son of the Yondaime Hokage. `We all know he is, don't deny it.' So I'm going to be following this `tradition' with the Kumo Taichou, Itachi.

Also, according to Kakashi Gaiden, Kage Bunshin is not exclusive to Konoha. One of the Iwa Nins used it when Kakashi first revealed the Chidori. Therefore, I will use it accordingly.

Naruto's going to be using his Wind affinity in a new way this chapter. He does a less extreme version of it in the manga, well, at least next chapter he will, with his bare hand, so with a katana, this should be no problem.

Have you guys seen the music video for the 10th closing theme of Naruto? Analog Fish's Speed? It's quite funny. Especially the main singer's facial expression. I can see why they called the band Analog Fish.

BTW, just because I said that all but one person who's flamed me so far has written no fics of their own and have pretty much only HP fics in their favourites does not in any way mean I'm bagging out Harry Potter or the people who do write HP fanfics, I'm bagging out it's fans, or at least the ones who think they know how fics should be written according to them, yet don't even write one themselves and just settle for saying something that pretty much waters down to 'ur fic sux, and so do u'.

All I see, no matter which fiction site I go to is 'NaruxSasu'. It's getting boring. Are the majority of people in the world either homosexual or have homosexual intentions? It makes me want to cry... Is it a crime to ask for a good completely hetro fic these days? I swear, Yaoi fan girls think its 'hot' for two guys to do it. I'd like to see what they think of it after they're subjected to it... Do I have a problem with homosexuals? No, no I don't. Do I have a problem with people portraying every single male in any given anime as gay by people who have no idea of how painful it would be? Yes, yes I do. Homosexuals are fine, but not if 90 percent of men are gay. Then again, I guess that means I get all the girls for myself if they are... Hehehehehehe.

Comments/Suggestions/Questions:

Silverscale: Ya, there's going to be a lemon. The lemon will not be in this part of the series, though. It will be in the next part, however. I'll place it on Media Miner when I get to it, just like my `Living Behind a Mask' lemon.

Failing Mentality: Well, I went with the assumption that half of the missions were A rank and half were S, done at the rate of one a week. By the end of the two and a half years, Naruto would have had 4, 875, 000 Ryou. Computer calculator ftw. Shika's not a Genjutsu specialist, but he can use some high level ones. As for Chouji, yeah, he's learnt a lot of Nin and Genjutsu to help him. The Kumo captain is a Jinchuriki, yes. Hachimata's container? No. Look at his first name for a hint… Kumo has only one as far as we know, but that's not a definite. I think the Kumo Taichou's tenant would be well suited to the Cloud. Trust me; Naruto's been developing coordinated elemental jutsus. Wait until you see what he does next chapter.

Del'Cera Osirin: That's because I didn't have a spell checker and everyone who tried to be my Beta-Tester never found anything wrong with any chapters.

Ichigo no Bankai: Read Silverscale's reply. It answered this exact question. I'm just too lazy to type it out again…

-Naruto-Kyuubi-: No, I actually write the chapters from scratch.

Silver-Foxie: I didn't answer it publicly, no. However, I am turning this story into a series. First part will be up till the end of the Jounin Exams. Second Part will go from there till when they have children. Third part, if I decide to do it, will focus on their children's lives up till the Chuunin Exams.

Maikeru Kitsune: I never said that Harry Potter or fanfics of Harry Potter sucked; I said that the HP fans that spread their corruption in the form of stupid flames sucked.

ShenobiKageKitsune: Is your caps button permanently stuck down? I will see your review; you don't have to use all caps every time…

Ecchi-Baka-Kon: No, the White Fang after Karachi Gaiden wasn't a sword of any description. It was broken by the Iwa Nin. Therefore, I could have had it reforged into a katana.

rantingmonkey: I've left a review for your fic. Read the first paragraph of the A/N this chapter to see why I had so many SPs.

Itallia: Actually, they said in that scene: `From this day forth, you will be Hokage.'

RagefulLlama: Thanks for the review. Check top A/N this chapter for the reason for the spelling. I've also edited some of the harsher A/N from previous chapters.

Naruto-Rawks: Did you read the paragraph directly after that line in chapter 6? It explained what it was, and even then, in the A/N at the bottom it translated it. As for Mendokusei… That's disturbing. It's Shikamaru's catch phrase, `troublesome'. Okaeri is a lesser used one which I should have put into an A/N somewhere; it means `welcome home'. Hisashiburi dana, I already put into an A/N the chapter after I first used it. It means `It's been a while `Insert person's name here' '.

Dragon Sword Master: Hmmm… There was another IchigoxYoruichi fic? I'll have to read it. Anyways, the explanation for my spelling is in the first paragraph of A/N this chapter. Now, as for Tsunade's phobia of blood. When I called off the Suna/Oto invasion, I had put a huge number of obstacles in front of me. The Ororchimaru's soul problem, The Sannin fight, Ororchimaru using Sasuke for a container early, and Tsunade's phobia. It took me a hell of a long time to work out all of them except the last. That one, I couldn't find a way of fixing without rewriting a fair chunk of the story. I'm going with the assumption that Tsunade once she got back to the Hospital quickly got over her phobia. Lame, but I can't find another way. Naruto's going to be showing off a lot more jutsus in this exam. Showing off 1000 jutsus would be kinda hard, though…

imaduck: Yeah, I saw that. However, I've always been under the impression that a turtle has a short, stubby tail… I remember editing that particular A/N, but not what I changed it to, though.

Darkwick: Oh, I do so love to `bash' Sakura and Sasuke. The thing is though, that's how Sasuke was in the manga/anime until Tsunade healed him. They just didn't use the word `vegetable'. As for your surgery, I hope you get better.

Thanks to everyone else who left a review!

Legend:

'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'

'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'

“...Human or Lesser Summon Talking...”

“...Demon or Summon Boss Talking...”

“...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU...”

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Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Eight:

Jounin Exams: Part 1:

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Next Morning, 8 am:

Naruto groggily opened his eyes to see sunlight streaming in through the window and onto his face. As quietly as he could, Naruto got up and still in his sleeping gear went to fix himself some breakfast. Kurenai was having pretty much the same thought. Naruto opened his door quietly and slipped out, shutting it behind him and making his way to the kitchen only to see Kurenai there in a baggy t-shirt and shorts preparing some sort of breakfast from the few things that were provided when they rented the apartment. Unlike her usual attire, this shirt pronounced her chest a lot more. She smiled at Naruto who blushed heavily.

“Ohaiyo, Naru-Chan.”

“Ohaiyo, Kurenai-Chan.”

He came into the kitchen and started making his own meal. Naruto went to the fridge to find bacon and eggs. He pulled them out and began searching for a frypan. Once he had found it, he turned the stove on, spraying some oil into it and waited for it to heat up. Once it had, he chucked the bacon in and it sizzled, hissed and popped. The delicious smell of cooking fat wafted through the house. When it finally reached the boy's room, Chouji's nose twitched before he shot up, out the door and into the kitchen to see Naruto cooking bacon and eggs. Naruto raised a hand in greeting.

“Morning, Chouji.”

“Morning, Naruto.”

Naruto could see Chouji eyeing the bacon quite intently. Naruto smiled and held up the rest of the bacon.

“Plenty for you and Shikamaru, Chouji.”

Chouji nodded and watched as Naruto cracked three eggs into the pan and waited for them to cook. Once they were done, Naruto pulled out a plate and loaded the bacon and eggs onto it before pulling out a knife and fork and putting them on the table with the food. Naruto smiled at Chouji.

“You can have that one.”

Chouji smiled warmly at Naruto.

“Thanks, Naruto.”

Naruto waved it off just as Shikamaru came in wearing his normal ninja attire and yawned widely.

“Chouji, did you have to make such a troublesome amount of noise?”

Chouji looked up from his breakfast and smiled sheepishly.

“Heh, sorry about that, Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru said nothing as he went into the kitchen and looked for something to eat, settling for several pieces of fruit and some toast to start the day. Naruto had already begun frying the next lot of bacon and had just put in the eggs when Shikamaru and Chouji finished their breakfast and put the plates in the sink to wash up later. Both of them went back to their room leaving Naruto and Kurenai to finish making their breakfasts and sit down to eat together. Naruto sat next to Kurenai and they ate in silence. That is, until Kurenai looked at Naruto.

“Naruto, promise me that you will take care of yourself...”

Naruto saw from the look in Kurenai's eyes that there was another meaning 'underneath the underneath', so to speak. He knew this wasn't one of the times to use his laid back attitude, so he looked at her sincerely and nodded.

“I will, Kurenai-Chan.”

Kurenai hugged Naruto to her, and much to his dismay, began crying. He'd never seen Kurenai cry before. Naruto put his arms around her to try and comfort her when she explained why she was crying.

“Naruto, when I was much younger, I had a boyfriend who would have done anything I asked him to. However, he went with his team to the Jounin Exams... And he never came back... I don't want the same thing to happen to you...”

Naruto now understood why Kurenai had been called the 'Ice Queen of Konoha'. She had kept her feelings suppressed to stop the possibility of the same thing happening again. Naruto wiped the tears away and pulled down his mask, leaning in to kiss her. Kurenai stiffened initially before relaxing and accepting the kiss. Naruto pulled back after little more than a minute and looked into her eyes.

“Kurenai-Chan, I will live, at the very least until I become Hokage. I'm not going to die on you. I promise... Just believe in me...”

Kurenai nodded and hugged Naruto to her tighter, hoping that this wouldn't be their last. Shikamaru and Chouji were coming out of their room when they spotted Naruto and Kurenai hugging each other. They knew Naruto had a crush on her, but they never expected to see this. Chouji whispered to his team mate.

“Shikamaru, since when were they this intimate?”

Shikamaru let out an exasperated sigh.

“How would I know such a troublesome thing?”

However, neither of them interrupted due to the very tense feeling coming from the pair. Whatever it was they had talked about, it was big. Both of them went back to their room to check their equipment again, leaving their friend and Sensei to sort things out. Not too long after, Naruto finally pulled away from Kurenai.

“Kurenai-Chan, I will come back.”

Kurenai nodded and smiled, trying to cover up the emotions raging within her.

“Kurenai-Chan, why don't we make it into a bet?”

Kurenai looked at Naruto suspiciously.

“If I come back alive and as a Jounin... Would you go on a date with me?”

Kurenai smiled at Naruto's heavy blush.

“If you come back alive, I would have considered dating you.”

Naruto looked startled at this, but it was clear she wasn't finished.

“But if you come back alive and as a Jounin, I will date you.”

Naruto nodded slowly. This was more than enough motivation to win. He gave her one final hug before he pulled back. He went back to his bacon and eggs, which had lost a fair amount of their heat, but they were still edible. Both of them finished off their breakfasts and cleaned up before taking a shower and then getting changed. Once all four of them were ready, they grabbed their ninja gear and locked up. Kurenai asked Chouji and Shikamaru to get food enough for one day. Chouji and Shikamaru nodded and left to get the food while Naruto decided to go pay Gaara a visit to look at his seal.

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30 Minutes Later:

Naruto had walked into the Kazekage Tower and had gotten up to the Kazekage's door when the ANBU stopped him.

“I'm sorry, but Kazekage-Sama is busy presently.”

The door opened to reveal Gaara who gave an annoyed look at the ANBU and turned back to Naruto.

“I have been waiting for you, Naruto. Come in.”

Naruto and Kurenai walked in and Gaara closed the door before turning to look at Naruto in a somewhat desperate fashion.

“Can you fix it?”

“I need to see it first.”

Gaara nodded and took off his shirt before moulding some chakra. On his navel, a seal appeared. Naruto's eyes narrowed. It was a single three element seal. No where near powerful enough to hold a demon lord at bay. Naruto thought about the possibilities before he decided to give Gaara a choice.

“I can fix it. However, you have to make a choice on how you want it fixed.”

Gaara looked at him questioningly so Naruto explained.

“The person who performed the sealing was a complete fool. I'm amazed you've fought Shukaku off for as long as you have. What you have is a three element seal. For a lesser demon, it would be sufficient, however, for a demon lord, it is nothing short of turning you into Shukaku in human form. I can perform two different seals. Each will have different effects. The first I can do is a second three element seal. This would most definitely stabilise the current seal, and you would be able to sleep without fear of being possessed. However, I can't guarantee you will get to keep all of your powers over Sand. The second option is I place a five element seal over it. If I do this, you would be completely rid of Shukaku's influence. On the other hand, it's unlikely you will ever be able to use chakra properly again with the seal on. Which do you want?”

Gaara thought about it.

“Is it possible to use another type of seal?”

Naruto shook his head.

“One of the basic rules of Fuuinjutsu is that you never place an odd numbered seal over an even one or vice versa unless you want to stop an opponent using chakra. A one element seal would be completely useless, as would a two element seal. Four is out of the question, leaving the option of three or five.”

Gaara nodded as he came to his decision.

“Three element seal.”

Naruto nodded and snapped his fingers, as the tips of three of them were surrounded in a red aura of chakra. Within each of the auras was a Kanji for a different element. The one on Naruto's thumb said 'fire', the one on his index finger said 'wind' and the one on his middle finger said 'water'. The red aura surged slightly as Naruto announced his jutsu.

“Sangyo Fuin!”

Naruto rushed his fingers towards Gaara's stomach just as Gaara's Suna no Tate tried to stop him; however, Naruto pushed through the sand and slammed it into Gaara's stomach. Gaara's eyes widened as he flew backwards and landed. The door slammed open to reveal the ANBU guard, who saw Kazekage on the ground and Naruto having just used some sort of jutsu on him. He unsheathed his katana and charged Naruto when he felt sand grab onto his feet.

“Don't you dare touch him.”

The ANBU looked astonished as Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

“Long story. Don't worry, Gaara's fine.”

The ANBU nodded and the sand let him go, apologising profusely before leaving the room. Gaara turned back to Naruto, a startled look on his face.

“I... I can't feel him...”

Naruto smiled.

“That's the way it should be. However, if you or anyone you care about is in serious danger, he will respond. The key to these types of seals for holding demons in is that the seal will allow a small percentage of the chakra to seep through the seal and mix with your own at all times. The seal you had only partially kept Shukaku restrained. The one you have now will keep him fully restrained unless you or one of your friends is in grave danger. In that case, he will provide you with quite a bit of his own chakra. Because if you die, so does he.”

Naruto pulled out a small slip of paper with a seal on it which he gave to Gaara.

“If it ever gets out of hand, ask someone to touch this to your body. It's a seal called O Fuin. It will suppress any demonic chakra back into the seal.”

Gaara nodded slowly as he took the seal and got up before putting his shirt back on.

“Thank you... Naruto...”

Naruto smiled.

“You're welcome.”

Naruto and Kurenai stayed for a bit longer and chatted with Gaara until he was called to a meeting.

“Again, thank you Naruto. I apologise for cutting this meeting short.”

Naruto smiled lazily.

“No problem, Gaara.”

The three of them left the office where Gaara was escorted by two members of the council while Kurenai and Naruto left to go see how Chouji and Shikamaru had done with the shopping.

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That Night:

As Naruto had expected, Chouji had gone slightly overboard with the shopping, despite Shikamaru's best efforts to stop him. Chouji smiled sheepishly as Naruto inspected the food.

“Chouji, we need to eat healthy food as well as chips...”

Shikamaru sighed.

“It was troublesome enough to get that.”

Naruto smiled lazily as he helped the other two unpack the groceries, which were about half essentials and half snacks. They had just finished unpacking when there was a rather loud and desperate knocking at their door. Naruto shrugged and walked to the door, not before the person knocked again. Naruto opened it to see a rather scared looking Temari.

“What can I do for you, Temari?”

“What the hell did you do to Gaara?”

Naruto looked up at the ceiling as he did when he was deep in thought or remembering something.

“Well, his current three element seal was highly unstable, so I-”

“He's trying to go to sleep!”

Naruto smiled.

“Good for him.”

Temari was about ready to smack Naruto.

“He's trying to sleep!”

Naruto nodded. Inwardly, he was thoroughly enjoying this.

“I heard you the first time. So, you came to tell me he's trying to go to sleep?”

Temari's hand was itching for her fan. How could he be so irritating and calm at a time like this?

“If he sleeps-”

“He'll have a good night's rest, I know.”

Temari punched him back into the room where he collided with the kitchen bench.

“BAKA!”

Naruto got up and smiled.

“You still have quite the temper, Temari.”

“You know if Gaara sleeps, Shukaku will come out?”

“Will it? I thought I did a pretty good job of fixing that.”

Temari stopped her rant and thought about what Naruto had just said.

“You did what?”

“I fixed the seal. He can sleep all he wants.”

Temari couldn't quite comprehend this.

“How can you just 'fix' a seal like that? No one in Suna could do anything about it!”

Naruto smiled lazily.

“That's because Suna doesn't have a Fuuinjutsu specialist.”

Temari raised an eyebrow.

“Are you saying you are a Seals Master?”

Naruto nodded and Temari smirked.

“If that had come from anyone else, I would have laughed at them. I'm still not sure if it will work though. Every time Gaara is just about to fall asleep, he wakes up instantly with a look of fear on his face.”

Naruto smiled.

“Natural human reaction. His body has trained itself to do that to stop itself from falling under Shukaku's influence. Even with Shukaku suppressed, his body will unconsciously keep doing that for a while. He'll get over it eventually.”

Temari nodded and smiled.

“Thanks for that, Naruto. You have no idea how much it means to us...”

Naruto smiled lazily.

“Anything for a friend.”

Temari waved as she closed the door and left the four Konoha Nin there, trying to pick up the pieces from Temari's rather explosive outburst.

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Next Morning:

It was the first day of the Jounin Exams. Every competing team was required to show up in front of the Kazekage Tower as they were addressed by Gaara himself, who was reading off a sheet his speech writer had prepared for him. Naruto counted about 30 teams in total, all of whom were tense.

“Welcome Chuunins to the annual Jounin Selection Exams. There will be two parts to this exam. The first test will be a seek and retrieve mission. The second part will consist of a team tournament of the teams who passed the first test. All teams please report to the East Gate for the specifics of the first mission. I wish you all the best of luck.”

Naruto smiled. Short and to the point. He turned with his team mates and Jounin Sensei to follow the other teams making their way towards the main entrance of Suna. When they got there, Temari was there with several examiners. Temari smiled at them.

“This will be the starting point for the first test. The time limit of the first test will be three weeks. Your target will be one of these-”

Temari held up what looked to be a large green and red scroll.

“And one of these.”

Temari held up a yellow and blue scroll of the same size as the first one.

“You will start with neither of them in your possession. In a 200 square kilometre area behind me, you will have to find squads of Suna Jounins that will be located through out the area that will have one scroll with them. You will know when you have reached the edge of the field if you look closely enough. You are allowed to fight or trade other teams for the scrolls. Here are the conditions that will fail you. 1: If you do not return with both scrolls by the time this test is over, you will fail. 2: If you lose or bring an unrecoverable team mate back, even if you have both scrolls, you will fail. The test begins at 6 am tomorrow morning. Those who are late will be disqualified. Until then, dismissed.”

The teams broke off and began discussing tactics. Both Naruto and Shikamaru realised that teams would probably form alliances to take on other teams with scrolls to ensure their own success. Naruto turned to Shikamaru.

“Think we should form an alliance with another team?”

Shikamaru nodded.

“Yeah. However, it would be troublesome. We are the only Konoha team here. The teams from other countries will most likely form alliances with teams they know. We'd have to approach another team blind.”

Naruto nodded in agreement. The only problem was which team to approach. Naruto saw the Kumo Team through the crowd, having apparently reached the same conclusion they had. Naruto smiled.

“Should we try the Kumo Team?”

Chouji nodded.

“They don't seem like bad people.”

Shikamaru sighed.

“Might as well…”

Naruto led his team up to the Kumo Team, who saw them and nodded in their direction.

“Naruto-San.”

“Itachi-San.”

Naruto led his team next to the Kumo team as they began walking back into the village.

“You've noticed it too, right?”

The Kumo captain nodded.

“Yeah. They're forming alliances.”

Naruto nodded in agreement. Quite a number of people were sending wary sideways glances at the Kumo team next to Naruto's.

“They seem to be quite wary of you.”

The Kumo captain smiled.

“We have a reputation back home.”

Naruto smiled.

“As do we. Unfortunately, we're the only Konoha Team here.”

The Kumo captain turned to Naruto and smiled.

“Are you asking for a temporary alliance despite the history between our villages?”

Naruto smiled lazily.

“Only if you want to.”

The Kumo captain chuckled.

“Think you can keep up?”

Naruto smiled again.

“Do you?”

The Kumo captain laughed out loud, causing many nearby people to look at him suspiciously.

“It's been a while since another team didn't beg for something like this from us. We might as well introduce ourselves. To my right is Saito Kinsuke.”

Kinsuke wore a black two piece ninja set with no other really noticeable pieces of clothing. His face was that of an experienced warrior. Impassive but wary. His hazel eyes did not leave them as he nodded to them. Itachi turned to his left.

“And on my left is Genji Satoshi.”

Satoshi wore possibly the most noticeable clothing of the three, which consisted of black cargo pants and a sand coloured shirt underneath his Chuunin vest. He was fairly well muscled, but his clothing hid it well. His face was unremarkable, save for his emerald green eyes, which held an intensity not usually seen in Shinobi after a few years on the field.

“Nice to meet you.”

Naruto smiled as he indicated Shikamaru.

“This is Nara Shikamaru.”

With his other hand, Naruto indicated Chouji.

“And this is Akimichi Chouji.”

They nodded at Chouji who smiled at them and they continued walking back into the village.

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Next Morning, 6 am:

Team 8 and Team Kumo met in front of the gates 15 minutes before the start of the test. Temari smiled at them as she looked up from her watch.

“Begin the first test!”

Everyone shot forward, desperate to find a pair of scrolls. Itachi turned to Naruto.

“I want to get ahead of the pack. How fast can you guys go?”

Naruto smiled.

“Set a speed. We'll keep up.”

The Kumo captain smiled.

“Let's double this.”

Shikamaru sighed.

“Mendokusei…”

Chouji smiled at Naruto.

“Should we take our weights off?”

Naruto nodded. At Naruto's insistence before he had left on his training trip with Jiraiya, Chouji had started using weights. Chouji formed a ram seal.

“Kai…”

The six of them shot forward, leaving the rest of the startled pack behind. Naruto focused chakra to his eyes as he began searching for the Suna squads. After half an hour, Naruto's Genjutsu sense went off and he whipped his head around.

“Found one.”

The Kumo captain smiled.

“Not a bad Genjutsu for a Jounin, isn't it?”

Naruto smiled.

“No.”

Naruto looked at the Jounin casting the Genjutsu and smiled before pointing a single finger lazily at them.

“Kai.”

The Genjutsu unravelled, much to the dismay of the Jounins. Naruto smiled lazily at them before making a beckoning motion with his hand.

“Hand it over.”

The Jounins' smirked as they disappeared and reappeared behind Naruto.

“You didn't even see us do that. You've got no chance.”

Shikamaru smiled.

“Actually, you have no chance. Look around you.”

The Jounins noticed that each of them had at least three explosive tags on their bodies. They looked at Shikamaru in surprise. The Kumo team smiled. These three from Konoha weren't chumps by any stretch of the imagination.

“When… How did you?”

Chouji chuckled.

“Good work, Shikamaru.”

Chouji walked up to the Jounin who was carrying the scroll and removed it with no opposition. It was one of the Blue and Yellow ones. Shikamaru looked at them lazily.

“I'll leave the tags armed until we're a fair distance away to make sure you don't try anything troublesome.”

The Jounins nodded as Team Konoha & Team Kumo turned to leave and after they were a fair distance away, Shikamaru diffused the notes and they continued the hunt.

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That Afternoon:

The sun was beginning to set when Naruto decided to concentrate chakra to his nose and eyes to gain slightly increased senses. Naruto's head shot around to see a group of Suna Jounins not too far away. Itachi smirked.

“They wouldn't be standing out in the open without a reason.”

Shikamaru nodded.

“It's likely they have some form of defence set up that we can't see from this distance.”

Kinsuke, who seemed to be the main brains of the Kumo team agreed.

“They may have some form of seal trap to prevent others from getting to them.”

Naruto smiled lazily.

“Only one way to find out.”

The teams changed course and sped towards the Jounins who Naruto could just make out were smiling. One of the Jounins formed some hand seals and announced his jutsu.

“Doton: Doryuuheki!”

The nin vomited a wave of mud around the group of Jounins which solidified into a giant roughly circular wall. Naruto smiled. This Doton jutsu wasn't all they had going for them. There seemed to be some sort of invisible Ninjutsu barrier that had just been erected around it. Naruto sighed. Barriers were troublesome, as Shikamaru would say to deal with. Itachi pulled out a kunai and hurled it at the wall, only to have it disintegrate on impact. No normal weapons were going to solve this, so they both pulled out their katanas, and took their stances.

Both boys concentrated as they announced their jutsus.

“Hitostu no Mai: Nami no Mai!”

“Raizo Ikazuchi wo Utte!”

Naruto created twin chakra waves off his blade, while Itachi just pointed his at the wall and a bolt of lightning jumped from it, both attacks exploding on impact. When the sand and dust settled, the outer barrier was warping hideously. If the Jounin tried to keep it up now, he would most likely injure himself from the feedback that destroyed barrier jutsus gave. Sure enough, the barrier dropped, leaving just the wall of solidified mud. Naruto smiled as the wall collapsed, and much to the amusement of the two teams, the Suna Jounins were unconscious from nosebleeds. Itachi turned to Naruto.

“What exactly did you do?”

Naruto smiled lazily.

“Used a Genjutsu I invented to knock them unconscious.”

Itachi could still detect faint traces usually found after a Genjutsu has been dispelled. What Genjutsu had caused the Jounins to faint from perverted thoughts, he didn't want to know. He walked up to find another Blue and Yellow scroll, which he picked up. Itachi walked back to the group with the scroll and noticed that the sun was about to set.

“We should set up camp.”

Everyone agreed and they made their way about two kilometres from the Jounin group before they cast a wide area Genjutsu over themselves and the area around them and began unpacking. Naruto pulled out a scroll and palmed several seals to produce a tent, cooking gear and decent food. Itachi saw both his team mates were rather interested in what Naruto was doing. Naruto smiled at them.

“Sealing things in scrolls saves a lot of space and weight. That way, we only need to go with our ninja pouches and Chuunin Jackets and we have everything we can possibly need.”

Naruto palmed another two seals to pull out six large bottles of water. He handed two to his team and three to the Kumo team, which they gratefully accepted, leaving one for him. The Kumo team looked at Naruto as he unscrewed the lid and did apparently nothing. The problem was, the water in the bottle was disappearing and Naruto was swallowing. Itachi laughed.

“That's some fast hand to mouth action you've got there.”

Naruto smiled.

“I learnt from the best. My Niisan can eat a large bowl of ramen in under 3 seconds.”

The Kumo Team did a retake of this.

“3 seconds?”

“No way…”

Chouji smiled.

“It's true. You have to see it to believe it.”

Naruto pulled out some pre made packets of salad, cooked meat and other things.

“You guys setting up home here?”

All six of them laughed at the joke and Naruto pulled out some plates and dumped the food onto them and handed them out to everyone. The Kumo Team was glad now they'd paired up with the Konoha Team. This beat rations any day. After they had finished, Naruto pulled out another scroll that was slightly different than the rest. This one had no symbols in the main parts of the scrolls. Naruto bit his thumb and began sealing the used objects into the scroll. Itachi's eyes narrowed. That thumb wound was healing so quickly Naruto had to bite it after two or three sealings. There was only one type of person that could heal that fast without medical Ninjutsu. Itachi came over to Naruto and took a seat next to him.

“I never thought I'd see another Jinchuriki in this exam.”

Naruto stopped what he was doing and looked at Itachi who smiled knowingly. Naruto nodded slowly.

“The only person who could have recognised what I was from biting my thumb is another one.”

Itachi nodded.

“So, who's your `inner demon'?”

Itachi sighed.

“Rokubi.”

Naruto nodded.

“Kyuubi.”

Itachi nodded.

“I'm guessing that's why you ware that mask.”

Naruto shrugged.

“Partially. The markings of the Kyuubi only strengthen with age. I also wear it for another reason.”

Naruto explained the first four years of his life. Itachi cringed at the mention of beatings in a way that made it obvious he knew about them from personal experience. After Naruto's story, Itachi told his. He had been the son of the Yondaime Raikage who died to seal Rokubi inside Itachi. People hated him as a child, and every time there was a lightning storm, the lightning seemed to strike him. At the time, he thought that even Kami hated him. However, he'd always lived through the lightning strikes, even felt slightly reenergised by them. On his fourth birthday, Itachi had overheard two people talking about a rumour that the Rokubi had been reborn as Itachi. The two people had no idea Itachi had been listening until he fled. For a number of years after that, Itachi had been cold and distant from the villagers. On his sixth birthday, Itachi had literally run into an old friend of his father who had nearly fainted when he saw Itachi. Apparently, all of his father's old friends had been told Itachi had not been able to handle the influx of demonic chakra and died, taking the Rokubi with him. Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

“Seems that all of the Jinchurikis were the sons of the Yondaime Kage of their village…”

Itachi's head shot up at this.

“Are you…”

Naruto nodded.

“My real name isn't Uzumaki Naruto. It's Kazama Naruto. However, the Sandaime who was still alive when I was born changed my surname so I could live without constant assassination attempts from Iwa nins seeking revenge for their losses at the hands of my father. He never said I couldn't change it back when I was strong enough to protect myself. Also, the current Kazekage, Gaara, is the container for the Ichibi no Shukaku. I fought him in the finals of the Chuunin Exams in Konoha almost three years ago when we were both still Genin. He is the son of the Yondaime Kazekage. Before I beat him, he did nothing but kill people for fun. However, the person who sealed Shukaku did a shocking job. He couldn't sleep, or Shukaku would devour his humanity. I don't blame him for his mental instability… No sleep for 14 years…”

Itachi sighed. Jinchurikis didn't exactly have it easy considering that the only reason this world continued to exist was because of them. It was the first time Itachi could talk about his problems with someone who actually understood what it was like. Itachi turned to Naruto.

“Do you have a life goal?”

Naruto nodded.

“To become the Hokage and surpass all of the ones before me. I want people to recognise me for who I am and not as a demon. I want to show them that despite what they've done to me, I still want to protect them.”

Itachi smiled widely.

“Seems we both have the same dream. People thought I was mad to dream of that.”

Naruto sighed.

“Humans tend to be stupid. They don't understand that they should never stop a man from going for his dream.”

Itachi nodded in agreement as they talked for a few more hours and then decided to turn in for the night.

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Next Morning:

Both teams woke up around the same time and had a short breakfast before quickly packed away their gear and dropping the Genjutsu. Both teams decided any way was as good as another until Itachi crossed his fingers in a very familiar seal.

“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.”

Naruto smiled and formed some of his own, one to every one of Itachi's clones and they sent them out to scout. After about 15 minutes, both Naruto's and Itachi's head snapped around to the direction they had sent one of their clone pairs.

“There's a Suna Jounin group about two kilometres from here, and they have a Red/Green scroll.”

Itachi nodded in agreement as the two teams went off in that direction hoping to get there before another team did. When they got closer, they saw that there was a natural oasis here. It had a collection of large rocks that formed a small network of caves that the Suna Jounins were apparently taking refuge in. Naruto smiled and charged forward.

“Leave this to me.”

Naruto jumped straight at the rocks and brought his katana in a diagonal sweeping strike against the rock. To the absolute shock of everyone present, the rocks split cleanly in half leaving the top half to slide down the diagonal cut, as if cut by a giant knife. Itachi's eyes widened in recognition.

“Wind manipulation…”

The Suna Jounins were cowering in fear as Naruto smiled lazily at them.

“Want to hand over the scroll? Or do I have to use this again?”

He indicated to his katana and the Jounins shook their heads rapidly and handed the scroll to him.

“Thanks for cooperating.”

Naruto jumped down and smiled at his team and the Kumo team, who were trying their hardest to keep their mouths from falling to the ground. Naruto strapped the scroll to his back and turned to Itachi.

“Now we need one for your team.”

Itachi nodded. A small part of his mind had thought Naruto would take the scroll and leave his team there while they went and passed the test. He was glad Naruto didn't. Naruto and Itachi looked in another direction as their Kage Bunshins dispelled, leaving them with the knowledge that the clones had gained since they were created. Itachi's eyebrows furrowed.

“That squad had a Yellow/Blue scroll…”

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.

“It might be smart to get it. It would mean that another team would not be able to pass so we have less competition in the finals.”

Kinsuke nodded and added his own analysis.

“It would also give us a position to bargain with another team if they have a spare Red/Green scroll and needed a Blue/Yellow.”

Everyone seemed to agree with that, so they set off to catch the Jounin squad.

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35 Minutes Later:

The two teams put up a light Genjutsu around them as arrived to see that the Jounin group were talking about something. Whatever it was, it seemed fairly heated. They could all see the scroll strapped to one of the Jounins' backs. Shikamaru had an idea.

“Them seem to be too heated to realise we're here. We should probably do a Kawarimi with the scroll.”

Chouji chucked at the memory.

“Just like in the Chuunin Exams…”

Shikamaru nodded and smirked as well. He would have loved to see the looks on that Suna team's face when they figured they'd been had. One of the pairs of clones sat down next to their creators, having just finished their scout.

“We couldn't find anything.”

The real Itachi smiled.

“Doesn't matter.”

The real Naruto nodded in agreement as he turned to his clone.

“I need you to do a 3 layered Henge for the scroll.”

The clone nodded and slowly added the first layer, so as not to alert the Jounins. The clone added the second and third layers without incident and then Naruto picked up the clone scroll. Satoshi smiled.

“Allow me.”

Itachi nodded in agreement.

“Satoshi was our year's Kawarimi specialist. He'll do it without problem.”

Naruto nodded and handed the fake scroll to Satoshi who concentrated for a second and then handed the scroll back to Naruto.

“Done.”

Naruto's, Shikamaru's and Chouji's eyes widened. They hadn't even seen that happen. But Naruto confirmed that the scroll on the Jounins' back was indeed his clone. The Suna Jounins were none the wiser as the teams left the Jounin group feeling a sense of smug satisfaction usually felt when a prank was well executed and you had not been caught. Both teams realised that if they wanted to trade, their current batch of Kage Bunshins would be useless, as they did not have the knowledge of any trade whatsoever. Both Naruto and Itachi had to wait until their clones reported back or dispelled themselves before they could do anything. Both teams took a seat in the warm sand as they waited for their clones to report in.

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Several Hours Later:

The last of the clones had reported in. Only one pair of clones had reported seeing another group with a pair of Red/Green scrolls. Luckily, they lacked a Blue/Yellow scroll. It would be far too intimidating for all six of them to go to the group, as it would likely provoke a fight. Naruto and Itachi both created another clone each and sent it to the last place the previous clone pair had been before they dispelled themselves. After almost an hour waiting, the clone pair came back with a team from Iwa, who naturally appeared very nervous. Naruto smiled at them.

“We're not going to fight. What the clones said is true. We have a spare Blue/Yellow scroll.”

The Iwa Nin who was obviously the captain nodded slowly. He had mid length blonde hair that covered one of his teal eyes.

“I suppose we can trade. It would mean all of us would pass.”

Naruto nodded and pulled out their spare Blue/Yellow scroll. The Iwa Nin checked it to confirm it was indeed real and motioned for his female team mate to place their spare Red/Green scroll down for the six of them to inspect. They confirmed it was also real so they traded the scrolls. Naruto smiled at them.

“Thanks for that.”

The Iwa Nin nodded as they all made their way back to the gates of Suna.

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Sunset that Day:

Temari was sitting looking out over the desert sunset when she saw nine figures approaching. Temari frowned. No one had ever finished this three week test in two days before. She called a guard over to her and pointed to the nine of them.

“Do they have a set of scrolls each?”

The guard looked through his binoculars and nodded.

“Each team has a Blue/Yellow and a Red/Green scroll, Temari-San.”

Temari's eyes widened. However, when the teams came within visual range, she really wasn't surprised. The teams came up to Temari and she smiled at them.

“Seems you 9 have smashed the previous record by at least a day. Let me see the scrolls.”

They nodded and handed over the scrolls for Temari to inspect. She opened them and saw the official Suna watermark on the scrolls as well as the `official property of Suna' on each of them. She nodded and put the scrolls into two boxes next to her.

“Congratulations. You all pass.”

The nine of them smiled as Temari pulled out three pieces of paper and handed one to each team.

“I'll need you all to go to the Kazekage Tower at the end of the three week period. The ANBU at the door will ask for those. Once you show them to him, follow his instructions on where to go from there.”

The three teams nodded and they walked back into the village to rest and train for the finals.

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A/N: If you were wondering why I didn't update today, it's because I got a new game, one I've been waiting for nearly 10 years to come out. Which game? Raiden III. Great game, BTW. Translations for this chapter:

Iwa: Rock.

Sangyo Fuin: Three Element Seal

Hitotsu no Mai: Nami no Mai: Dance of the First: Dance of the Waves.

Raizo Ikazuchi wo Utte: Thunderbolt Strike.

Well, until next time.

Ja na,

Specula.