Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered ❯ One step for her; One giant leap for them all ( Chapter 21 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: caro8

EDIT - OMG did this chapter need to be proof read badly. I was so embarrassed when I looked it over. I apologize for the horrible grammar.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would be a stripper.

Spoilers: None

Warnings: Strong language

Chapter 21: One step for her; one giant leap for them all

When Naruto and Sasuke got home from their training, Hinata was at the house. She was making them lunch. The house smelled of food again. Sasuke took a moment to let the smell sink in. With Sakura gone, it had been a long time since the house had smelled like a home.

“Welcome home boys. Hungry?”

Sasuke followed Naruto into the kitchen. Hinata had made them a some soup and some salad. Nothing grand, but it was food nonetheless. Naruto smiled and gave her a small peck on the cheek. Hinata blushed and shoved him away.

“Go on sit down.”

The boys obeyed and moved into the dinning room. Naruto reached for his cup when he noticed just how dirty his arms were. When scrubbing them roughly with the table napkin didn't work, Naruto stood up and went to the bathroom. Soap was required for this one. Sasuke on the other hand stayed. He wasn't anywhere as dirty as Naruto. Hinata entered the room after Naruto had left. She placed the food on the table and sat down across from Sasuke.

“I'm sorry for not coming here sooner.”

Sasuke didn't say anything. He didn't even change his facial expression, but on the inside he was confused as all hell. He just stared at her as if he was looking at a bowl of soup.

“I promised myself that I would try to take care of all those important to him. I know you're very independent and I didn't know how to uh…” Hinata lowered her gaze not knowing how to continue.

“I don't need someone to take care of me.”

Hinata laughed lightly. “Sakura said you would say that.” Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “Girls talk Sasuke, just like you talk to Naruto.”

Sasuke responded with a grunt.

“Look all I'm saying is that this anger or whatever it is has to go. You're important to Naruto and I respect that. You're always gonna be there for him, for that I'm glad. He can count on you. I'm not asking you to be that way with me. I just want to be your friend, and that in return you respect my role in his life.”

She lifted her head when Sasuke didn't say anything in return. Sasuke was still looking at her. He had to admit, she was brave. Sasuke looked away from her and inside made himself busy by dusting his pants. He knew deep down inside he didn't want to make things difficult for Naruto. Maybe he could try. When Naruto walking in a few seconds later, they all started to eat. As soon as Sasuke was done he started to get up, but from under the table Naruto stepped on his foot. Sasuke glared at him then sat back down.

“Hinata, me and Sasuke are thinking of starting our own squad with the Anbu.”

Hinata instantly sat up straighter and smiled brightly. “Really, that would be wonderful. It'll be more convenient than both of you being on different squads with different schedules.”

“Do you think they'll let us?”

“Why wouldn't they?”

“Because of who we are.” Both Naruto and Hinata turned to look at Sasuke. Hinata shook her head and smiled. “And what is that? Strong, talented, independent ninja's who work best together than with anyone else?”

“Hinata…”

“No Naruto, it's true. You two work very well together. You may work well with others, but together there are few that could compete with you two.”

“That is true.” Hinata gave Sasuke a thank you look, while Naruto smiled at him. Maybe being friendly with Hinata wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

“Don't go getting a big head now Sasuke.”

“I'll have you know the size of my head is completely normal. Yours on the other hand…”

Hinata giggled, and Naruto pouted at both of them. “Hey double teaming is against the rules.”

“I didn't know there were rules.”

“There are now.”

Sasuke got up from the table and gathered the dirty dishes. As he walked past Naruto he stopped and leaned closer. “I give you an hour before you break your own rules.”

Again, Hinata giggled.

The following morning over breakfast, Sasuke discussed with Naruto his plans for the day.

“Tomorrow I have to go to this chuunin exam meeting since the exams are in six months. So I was thinking that maybe today we could go see your captain.”

So after breakfast the pair went to Raido's apartment to have a little chat. Turns out Raido was having coffee with Genma, which Naruto found strange. The two didn't seem to be coffee drinking friends, much less normal friends. After greetings were passed around, Naruto sat down and took a deep breath.

“Captain, I had a question. When Sasuke joins the Anbu can the two of us work as a two man squad?”

Genma instantly started laughing, which hurt Naruto's feelings. Did Genma think Sasuke couldn't join, or that a two man team was a bad idea? Raido smiled and took a sip of his coffee. “Getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we, but that's okay. Anything like that has to be approved by the head of the Anbu.”

“Okay then give me your opinion on it.”

Raido leaned back in his chair and studied both of them. He then turned to Genma. Apparently they told each other what they thought with their eyes, because Naruto and Sasuke sure as hell didn't hear them say anything to each other. It occurred to Naruto that maybe he and Sasuke did that as well, speaking without talking, and just didn't know it.

“I don't see how the Anbu wouldn't benefit from having you two join. Small teams are sometimes needed. The only set back would be that there isn't a captain.”

“What if we both become captains?” Naruto nodded at Sasuke's suggestion. Both of them being captains meant there wouldn't be any power struggles, well at least not too many. Raido on the other hand looked at them both with another hard look in his eyes.

“Are you two really serious about this?” They both nodded. “Okay look I can give you this.” Raido stood and went to a nearby dresser. After searching around he pulled out an old tattered notebook. “This is the handbook my captain gave me when I wanted to take the exam. Use this to prepare. The captain exams are held around the same time as the chuunin exams that way all promotions are made at the same time.”

“Do you think you both will be prepared in six months?” Genma leaned forward and placed his elbows on his legs. Even in this scrutinizing position he looked relaxed and disinterested.

“We only need two.” Even though Sasuke sounded cocky, he didn't exactly feel that way. He had no clue what to expect. But once they got home they both sat down and started looking over the handbook. Naruto would read it out loud, and Sasuke would take note of things they would have to work on. Sasuke knew his limits as well as Naruto's, which was funny when he thought about it. As rivals they should keep things like that secret. Sasuke was brought back from his thoughts when Naruto waved a hand in front of his face. Sasuke shrugged him off.

By the time they stopped it was 1am. As Sasuke rubbed his eyes in bed he knew if they were really desperate they could ask Kakashi for help. He would never turn them down. But he would make things difficult with his strange training techniques. Asking him would be a last ditch effort.

The next morning, Sasuke and Naruto got up early and continued studying the handbook. Sasuke looked up at a nearby clock and saw that it was almost time for him to leave for his meeting. As Sasuke left, Naruto was still looking over the handbook and the notes Sasuke had taken. Naruto looked strange to Sasuke with his face etched in concentration. He actually looked intelligent. Sasuke smirked, unknowingly, as he left. Maybe Naruto did have what it took to be Hokage.

Sasuke felt nostalgic as he walked into the room where the first part of the chuunin exam were always held. Inside all three examiners were present, Anko, Genma, and Hibiki. Tsunade and Shikamaru were also there. Sasuke walked to the front of the room and sat next to Shikamaru, who was leaning back in his chair and looked like he was asleep. Tsunade looked out the window and sighed.

“We're waiting for one more person.”

Sasuke leaned back just like Shikamaru and was just about to get comfortable when the doors were thrown open. A tall jounin wearing small sunglasses and short black hair stumbled in.

“Sorry I'm late.”

Sasuke instantly recognized the ninja. He was the one who had spilled the beans about Kakashi being defeated by Itachi all those years ago. Sasuke clinched his fist at the memory, but quickly relaxed. This was not the time to be remembering those things or people.

“It's okay sit down.” Tsunade got up and walked around the desk. “Now you might be wondering why I have decided to replace the old examiners? I felt it was time for some fresh faces.”

“We're not that old, right guys.” Anko nudged both Hibiki and Genma, who ignored her.

Tsunade also ignored Anko and handed Sasuke, Shikamaru and Aoba three large scrolls. “These are the rules for the entire exam. Included are also some very impressive statistics. Memorize the whole thing. Now the former examiners will be going over some tricks of the trade with you individually.”

Aoba walked over to Genma, Shikamaru to Hibiki and Anko waved Sasuke over to the door. Sasuke followed her out the room and to the Forest of Death. Once outside the gate, Anko sat down on a nearby rock. Sasuke couldn't help but notice how much more at place she seemed here than she did indoors.

“Okay, you gotta learn every animal, every hiding place, and every danger inside the forest.”

“Memorize it in other words.”

“Yup. You have to in case we have to do an emergency evacuation or if someone happens to sneak in.”

Sasuke turned and gave her a knowing look. Anko raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in acknowledgement. She also scratched her neck, something Sasuke assumed she wasn't aware she was doing. “Do I patrol inside or outside?”

“Outside. The less contact with the genins the better. But you have to make sure everyone signs the release forms. Only those who sign are allowed to enter, and that everyone is accounted for at the end.”

Sasuke noted that she didn't say everyone is accounted for alive. “Can I bring someone with me to learn the area?”

“I would recommend it.”

Sasuke entered the house to find Naruto still looking over the handbook, except this time Hinata was with him. Hinata had taken over his job.

“So how did it go?”

“It was fine.”

Sasuke took off his shoes and approached the table. Hinata looked up and grabbed a near by stack of papers full of her writing. “I was helping Naruto. Luckily a lot of the things you have to learn seem pretty simple. Most of it is learning interrogation skills, and leadership qualities. The hard part is going to be learning these bare minimum techniques.”

Hinata handed Sasuke the papers in her hand. For a moment Hinata's near perfect handwriting distracted him. Sasuke covered it up with a sign as he read the notes over. The jutsu's were difficult. Complete chakra suppression, complete chakra control which was almost as good as a medical ninja's, and a long list of jounin level jutsu's that have to be preformed back to back without pause.

“Sasuke, we have to find a place to train.” Naruto was running his hands through his hair. He looked stressed out and tired.

“I know just the place.”

For the next six months Sasuke and Naruto trained within the forest. They would spend a week inside memorizing and training. Then the following week they would study and practice all the non-jutsu skills. Then they would start the cycle all over again.

Things were made much easier thanks to Raido. He had his squads training sessions with the excuse that they had to patrol the area since the exams were coming up. Naruto knew better, but said nothing. If anything the rest of the squad already knew, knowing how gossipy they were.

To make things even more stressful, Naruto and Hinata had finally decided on a specific date. One month after the exams were over. By then they would both be 18. The date announcement made everyone anxious. The date was right around the time promotion announcements were made. Now everyone had two things to look forward to. Hopefully at least one of them would be a happy occasion.

Sakura kept writing. She said she couldn't wait to see them all and come to the wedding. She also told them that the day they became captains, because she had no doubt they would, that they had to visit her. Those were her orders.

Exam day (Two months before wedding)

Sasuke, Shikamaru and Aoba met in the room next door to the exam room. They looked over the applications to get a better feel for the kind of people they would be encountering during the exam. Sasuke recognized a lot of the applicants as his former students. When the time came, Shikamaru got up and started to leave. Before opening the door he stopped.

“I'll get rid of at least two thirds of the students.”

Aoba and Sasuke sat in the room and waited. As Sasuke flipped through the applications he was surprised Tsunade had let the Sound participate in the exam. He would have doubted her if Naruto hadn't told him that all the Sound sensei's were being followed by at least two Konoha Anbu members at all times. Sasuke looked out the window. Somewhere out there Naruto was spying on someone.

About an hour into the exam Sasuke heard the first couple students leave the room. Elimination time had started. Sasuke smirked. “Let's see if the genius was right.” Aoba laughed at the comment.

Sasuke waited until he couldn't hear anyone else leaving the room. He waited an extra ten minutes just to make sure. When he was positive no one else was going to be leaving he got up and left the room. He approached the door where the exam was being held. He wanted to make sure he didn't walk in on something, so he leaned close to the door. Shikamaru must have felt his presence because Sasuke heard him sigh heavily. “I guess you all pass this portion of the exam.”

Sasuke entered the room before anyone got a chance to cheer. Silently, without making eye contact Sasuke walked to the front of the room and turned. Sure enough two thirds of the students were gone. A quick scan revealed some leaf, a few mist, a couple rain, and two sound teams.

“Nice small group.”

“I told you.” Shikamaru stepped back and leaned against the desk, giving Sasuke the stage.

“My name is Uchiha Sasuke and tomorrow I want everyone to meet me at Training Ground 44 at 8:00am. Bring with you a survival pack, you'll need it.”

In one of the last rows a Sound nin leaned back in his chair and started to snicker. Everyone's attention, including Sasuke and Shikamaru, turned to that one nin.

“Is this what you've been reduced to Uchiha?”

Sasuke heard Shikamaru groan behind him. The genin continued to just sit there with a huge smirk on his face. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and slowly approached the nin. When he was standing in front of the genin, the genin leaned forward on the desk.

“You've gotten soft.”

Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He heard a few gasps from the students who could see him. He then flared up his chakra. Instantly everyone in the room gasped. The Sound nin sitting in front of him paled. Sasuke remembered the first time he felt jounin level chakra, which was when Kakashi and Zabuza fought, then again when he first met Orochimaru.

“Sasuke”, Shikamaru said. Sasuke dropped his chakra and deactivated his Sharingan. “So troublesome.”

As Sasuke walked to the front of the room he noticed a few students hyperventilating, and one girl was openly crying. When everyone had regained some control, Sasuke looked at every single student.

“I expected better, from everyone. Make sure you show up. Incomplete teams will fail.”

Taking that as the cue to leave, the students got up and walked out. Sasuke helped Shikamaru gather the tests. Once all the tests were gathered the two of them, and all the observing chuunins went to the room where Aoba was still sitting. They all went over who was kicked out for being caught three times. One student figured he had a few chances to cheat, so he got up and walked over to his teammate. Shikamaru kicked him out for pure stupidity. There were a few returnees this year. Yet from what they could see there were no obvious problem teams.

The next day

Sasuke showed up bright and early at the Training Ground. No one was there yet, just as he suspected. All the nins assigned to help him were present though. He quickly assigned them to their gates and gave them all orders. The nin's bowed and left. Around 7:50am the first teams started showing up. Sasuke was going to give all the teams a five minute grace period, after that they were going to be disqualified.

At exactly 8:00am Sasuke had all the teams gather together.

“The rules are simple. Each team will be given either an earth or heaven scroll. You're mission is to get the other scroll. Only teams with both scrolls can pass. If you're teammate gets killed, you fail, if you lose a teammate, you fail. You have five days to make it to the tower. Whatever you do, do not open the scrolls. Now I need everyone to sign these release forms.”

As Sasuke passed out the forms, he looked over at the time. It was 8:05am. Well anyone who showed up now would have to be kicked out. Sure enough, three minutes later a leaf team showed up. Sasuke quickly intercepted them and told them to go home, they had failed. One of the team members didn't take the news well because he reached out and tried to snatch a release form from Sasuke's hand. Sasuke tackled the student to the ground, pulled his head back and placed a kunai to his throat.

“Are you in a hurry to die?”

“No sensei.”

“Then leave. Now.”

Sasuke got up and watched the team leave. He then went to his station where all the scrolls were located. Much to his surprise all the teams signed the release form. It only took ten minutes to get all the scrolls distributed and the teams to their gates. At 8:30am exactly the teams entered the forest. Within twenty minutes screams heard coming from the forest. Sasuke couldn't help but smile.

Naruto knew it would work. All he had to do was follow Tsunade at every waking hour and bitch. Sometimes it wasn't specific bitching, more like moaning and whining. Other times it was specific. Either way, it worked. Naruto couldn't help but smile behind his mask as he made his way to Training Ground 44.

It didn't take Naruto long to find Sasuke, who was just starting to make his rounds. After spotting him Naruto ran up behind him.

“Hey bastard, how did it go?”

“I only got rid of one team, so far.”

“Yeah I heard. Did you have to threaten them?”

“They need to learn.”

“So who passed that I know.”

“Konohamaru and his team, Ino made it through too.”

They heard a scream come from the forest. It was quickly followed by two more. Naruto sighed and looked at the forest. “Memories.”

“We'll stay out here and scan the outskirts for three days then spend the other two at the tower.”

“Why three out here?”

“To find those who opened the scrolls. The scrolls not only knock them out but also put up a camoflauge jutsu to protect them.”

“A jutsu only you can see. Got it. So when we get to the tower what then?”

“We wait for people to start showing up.”

“When do we sweep the forest for people lost or dead?”

“If there's a preliminary tournament, during that. If not, as soon as the rules are read. I have to be present during that.”

Naruto nodded. Three days outside the gate, two at the tower and maybe one to two days searching the forest. As they rounded a corner, one of the ninja's stationed at a gate waved them down.

“Sasuke-san, there's a student that'll start walking this way, but hesitates and goes back. He's done it three times already.”

Sasuke turned and looked into the forest. This was just what he didn't need; trouble. If the student wanted to leave, he would have brought his team with him. If there was trouble, he would have said so. A whole array of possibilities started going through Sasuke's head.

“Want me to follow him when he appears again?”

Naruto's spoke at a volume only Sasuke would have heard.

“We won't be seen.”

Sasuke heard Naruto scoff. Like he would let Naruto have all the fun. He saw Naruto stand next to him. They only had to wait about five minutes before someone started walking out of the forest. He was young, and a Sound nin.

Naruto leaned forward unconsciously. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto wasn't interested in what village the kid was from. He was too busy reading the nin's body language. The nin was skittish, he kept looking back. Someone was either pressuring him to come, or was pressuring him to go back. The nin kept rubbing his hands together and down the front of his pants. His palms were sweating and he was nervous. In other words, this was not good.

Naruto watched as Sasuke stepped toward the gate and opened it. It was a silent invitation. The nin started to rush forward, but stopped when their was a loud rustling from the forest. The nin stopped, turned and ran back.

“Something called him back. I'm gonna go.”

Naruto didn't wait for Sasuke to respond. He was nearly to the trees when he felt Sasuke's presence next to him. It wasn't hard to track down the kid, since he was a genin and very inexperienced. The genin ran to a small cave formed by the roots of two trees. Inside was a young girl with a heavily bandaged leg. Naruto and Sasuke hid in the tree across from the cave.

The bandaged girl sat up at the sight of the young man. “He came back again, as soon as you left.”

“I wish I could take you with me.”

“You should just leave me and go.”

“I can't do that. He'll kill you.”

Naruto turned and looked at Sasuke, who shook his head. Sasuke knew the rules. They were only to get involved under extreme circumstances. So far Sasuke had yet to see any evidence to force him to get involved. He turned when Naruto tapped his shoulder and pointed higher up the tree. Sasuke followed Naruto to a higher perch. Just as they settled down a genin ran below them toward the other two.

“You tried to go again didn't you. I should kill you.”

The young genin stepped forward and looked desperate. “You need help.”

“No I don't. I'm fine.” Naruto watched as the genin walked away from his two scared teammates. The nin had long brown hair. He started looking through his pockets and pulled out two scrolls. They were both heaven scrolls, but Naruto could tell by the way the brunette genin threw them that he had been looking for the earth scrolls. “Tomorrow we'll have to move further into the forest.”

“We can't move her.”

“We'll make her move!”

Naruto noticed that the angry brunette kept grabbing his thigh, but by the looks of it he didn't seem injured. He signaled to Sasuke about the thigh. Sasuke nodded and turned back to the team. It was then that they heard a noise from behind their tree. Naruto turned just in time to see a huge snake getting ready to strike. He jumped one way and Sasuke the other. The commotion caught the attention of the genin team below. Naruto searched Sasuke out. Sasuke signaled that they should leave.

As they ran toward the edge of the forest they could hear the snake chasing behind them. Apparently this snake wanted jounin blood not genin blood. As they jumped around trying to get away from the snake a familiar chakra flare stopped them dead in their tracks. They turned to see the snake no longer behind them.

Naruto took off looking for the snake. As he rounded a tree he spotted the snake and the aggressive brunette genin. The snake was dead, killed by the genin. But what shocked Naruto was the genin himself. Naruto had gotten there just in time to see a curse seal returning to its point of origin; the genin's thigh.

Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and pulled him back slightly. Indicating without words that they should leave. He saw Naruto hesitate for a moment before turning and running toward the gates.

“Why didn't you let me get him? He's dangerous!”

Sasuke knew the moment they reached the gates that Naruto would be mad at him. That was the reason he hadn't stopped running until they had reached a private area near the training grounds.

“Rules. Technically he wasn't cheating.”

“He wants to kill them.”

“Killing is allowed. You know this. Look don't say anything. I have to inform the Hokage.”

“Let me come.”

“No. I need you to continue my rounds. Wait for me to return before making any decisions.”

As much as Naruto wanted to tell Sasuke to shove it up his ass, he knew he had to listen. Sasuke was the commanding ninja and Naruto his helper. So instead of yelling, Naruto bit the inside of his lip, bowed slightly and left.

For the next couple days Sasuke and Naruto continued to patrol the gates. The Sound team had not been sighted since the first day. They assumed that the team had moved deeper in the forest. After the third day they made their way to the tower. No teams had made it to the tower yet.

“Naruto if that Sound team makes it we have to let them pass. If they don't, we have to find them and escort them out immediately.”

“Orders?”

“Yeah.”

Naruto followed Sasuke to a hidden security room. Inside were a few ninjas sitting around watching security monitors. There was a camera placed at every entrance, and in every waiting area. Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall.

“Well, the teams have one hour to break the record.”

“Who has the record? I know we don't.” The first time they had taken the test, they were the last team. The second time there were already teams at the tower.

“Gaara.”

“That bastard.”

Sasuke silently agreed with Naruto. Neither of them noticed the surprised looks the ninjas in the room were giving them. No one talked about the Kazekage with such formality. Almost an hour and a half later the first team walked into the tower.

“Uchiha-san, a team just entered.”

Everyone in the room rushed the monitor to catch a glimpse of the team. It was Konohamaru's team. Naurto stood up straight and cheered.

“They're the first team. That's awesome!”

“They didn't break the record though.”

“Who cares. Can I go congratulate them?”

“After this portion of the exam is over.” Even through the mask Sasuke could see the pout on Naruto's face. The last two days continued with a steady flow of teams. But the Sound team had not shown up. Well sure enough, when time was up the team was nowhere to be found.

Sasuke told Naruto to go into the preliminary tournament room and wait for further instructions. Naruto stood in the back of the room as Sasuke escorted all the teams in. As the teams lined up, Tsunade motioned for Sasuke to approach her. After a quick talk, Sasuke nodded, turned and left the room with Naruto in toe.

“We have to find the team.”

Sasuke went to the roof of the tower, and grabbed the messenger hawks perched there. He attached notes to all of them and sent them on their way. The notes told all the ninja's patrolling the area to keep out of the forest until further instructions were given. It also said that if they happen to see a Sound team, to notify Sasuke immediately via bird.

After all the birds were gone, Sasuke marched out of the tower. At the bottom step he pulled out a topographic map.

“We spotted them here first.” He marked a place on the map. “They might have gone this way since it's easier.” With his finger he showed the possible path, which had few slopes, and valleys.

“They might have gone by the stream, which is shorter. He seemed pretty confident in himself.”

“It's also the hardest.” Traveling via the stream was dangerous. It left one out in the open, plus the steam was a heavily traveled area. Sasuke looked down at the map again. After thinking it over for a moment me started to roll up the map. “We'll go to the last sighting place via the stream. On the way back we take the other path.”

“Okay. But what if we don't find them?”

“Let's worry about that later.”

Sasuke put the map away, and then they were gone. As they traveled up the stream Sasuke had his Sharingan activated, while Naruto was using chakra to enhance his sense of sight and smell. As they traveled Naruto couldn't help but notice that Sasuke would randomly stop, mark his map and put up a smoke signal. After giving Sasuke a strange look, Sasuke said, “There's a passed out team.” Naruto understood know. Only Sasuke could see through the jutsu.

It took them about an hour to make it to their destination. Knowing the terrain, not having to look over their shoulder for possible attacks and not having to fight anyone made the search a whole lot easier.

After some hunting around fire embers are found. But they were cold and there was no evidence that anyone has been in the area for the past couple days. By the time Naruto and Sasuke began to move down the other path the sun has begun to set. There was no break for the duo as they searched. They needed to find the Sound team as soon as possible.

Traveling back toward the tower become much more difficult and much slower. The forest was starting to get darker and the animals were starting to come out. As they jumped through the trees Sasuke was the first to spot the explosive note. Sasuke stopped before activating it, as was Naruto. Sasuke threw a shuriken and hit the note. Notes set all over the area began to go off. Just as the last note went off they felt the familiar chakra surge of the curse seal. In an instant they were both on the ground and racing towards it. Moments later they ran into the genin, who was racing toward the sound of the explosion.

“You're not genins!”

Naruto let Sasuke step forward and speak since he was the one in charge. “The exam is over. I'm escorting your team out of the forest.”

“No! It can't be over!” Angry, the genin released the curse seal.

“Stop. We don't want to fight you!”

But the genin didn't listen. Instead he screamed and charged at Sasuke. Fighting the genin was difficult. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke wanted to severely injury him. To make matters worse the curse seal was making the genin insanely powerful. Luckily Naruto was able to soften him up with some taijutsu. While he was distracted Sasuke threw some shuriken with wire and tied the genin to a tree. The genin tried to fight his way out, but couldn't. As he was struggling he heard a very familiar chirping noise. He looked up and saw Sasuke walking up to him with his Chidori in all its glory. Panicked, the genin turned to Naruto.

“Hey stop him!”

“I will if you pull back the seal.”

“Stop him!”

“Pull the seal back!”

Just as the genin turned to plead with Sasuke, his teammate ran and stood in front of the curse sealed brunette. He stood with his arms spread and on the verge of tears. “Don't! Please!”

Sasuke stopped his slow advance. He never intended on using the Chidori on the genin. His advance was too slow. Naruto knew this as well. The whole purpose was to scare the genin into submission. As Sasuke untied the genin from the tree he heard Naruto sigh heavily behind him. Damn kids gotta complicate everything.

After taking the team into custody and escorting them to the hospital, Naruto followed Sasuke as he gave orders to all the ninja's involved in the exam to enter the forest and find the remaining teams. As soon as the orders were passed out Sasuke and Naruto went to the room where the preliminary tournament was being held. They arrived just in time to catch the last couple matches. Naruto was glad to discover that Hanabi, Konohamaru and even Ino had made it through to the next round. As Naruto scanned the room, he spotted Ryo standing on the other side of the room with a team of genins. Looks like Ryo did get his promotion after all.

When the preliminaries were over Tsunade congratulated them all. Aoba stepped forward and got everything organized for the tournament. As the students started to file out, Tsunade signaled for Sasuke and Naruto to follow her. As Naruto walked past Konohamaru he couldn't help himself.

“Good job.”

“Thanks Ni-san.”

“So he had a curse seal?”

“Yes.”

“Okay I'll talk to his sensei, but don't leave. Sit and wait outside in case this sensei decides to act stupid.”

The boys bowed quickly and walked out of her office. Sasuke leaned against the wall directly across from the office and Naruto sat down on the floor next to him. Minutes later a tall, ugly Sound nin entered her office. Naruto wondered when the hell Tsunade summoned him. The only conclusion that made sense was that it must be a Hokage secret, one he would learn later.

Five minutes after the Sound nin walked into the office Tsunade opened the door and asked them to enter. Naruto noticed that Tsunade had gripped the doorknob so tightly she had actually broken it. Not a good sign. Tsunade walked back to her desk calmly. The Sound nin was sitting in a chair in front of her desk.

“Sasuke, explain to him what you saw.”

Sasuke gave Tsunade a nod and turned to face the Sound nin. Naruto stood behind him as he spoke. “The curse seal originated from his thigh. The pattern was like barb wire.”

“How do you know that wasn't a bloodline technique you saw?”

“I know what a curse seal looks and feels like.”

“Having one doesn't mean you can spot one. Have you ever been in the presence of someone with a curse seal?”

Naruto saw the muscles in the back of Sasuke's neck contract. He also noticed Sasuke had balled his hands into fists. This Sound nin sure had a knack for pissing people off.

“Four as a matter of fact. My comrade has encountered six.”

Naruto leaned forward to whisper into Sasuke's ear. “Seven, you forgot Mizuki.” Sasuke promptly stomped on Naruto's foot.

Tsunade cleared her throat and leaned on the desk. “As you can see they know what they saw.”

“Fine. I'll take my team home and explain to the Otokage what happened.”

The Sound nin stood and turned to walk out. He didn't even bow or give Tsunade any sign of respect. Karma took care of him though when he realized he couldn't get out of the office due to a broken door. Naruto had to help him out, much to the Sound nin's embarrassment. When they were finally alone Naruto removed his mask and approached the desk.

“Baa-chan, was that a good idea to let him walk out like that?”

“I told him that out of the goodness of my heart I wasn't going to take his students highly aggressive behavior toward my ninja's as a threat. Or that his village allowing someone poisoned by Orochimaru to come here as an attack to Konoha.”

`Damn, she's good.' Naruto couldn't help but mentally compliment her. He hoped he would be able to manipulate situations like this to favor him.

“Go home you two. Relax. All missions have been put on hold until after promotions.”

As the pair slowly trudged down the halls of the tower, Sasuke remembered some unfinished business they had to attend too.

“Let's go talk to the Anbu head while we're here.”

Naruto nodded and started to take the now familiar route toward the Anbu headquarters. When they entered they were immediately waved down by Raido.

“You two are good to go.”

“What do you mean captain?”

“I passed the proposal on to the head. He approved the exam.”

Sasuke raised his hand in confusion. “Wait, so am I Anbu?”

“Only if you pass. Then you and Naruto will leave to do some Anbu training.”

Naruto nearly grabbed his captain by his shoulders and shook him. “Captain I can't. The wedding is six weeks after the chuunin exam and anbu training takes four weeks! I can't be gone -“

Raido raised his hand and cut Naruto off. “If you pass the captain exam the training is only two weeks long. They only teach you some basic captain rules. Nothing you can't handle.”

Naruto instantly relaxed. He could handle two weeks away from home. As the three of them walked out of the tower Raido clapped his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

“I'd hate to lose a valuable member of my squad, but I guess it can't be helped.”

When the boys arrived home, they went about getting ready for dinner. It was really late, but they were hungry. After hunting around the kitchen they were able to make some rice with meat. They ate in silence until Naruto sat back in his chair and threw his head back in exhaustion.

“We need to train this month, and we need to train hard.”

Sasuke continued to eat his rice. “I can ask Kakashi.”

“No, Tsunade sent him on a mission while I was harassing her. He hasn't returned yet.”

“Who then?”

Naruto lifted his head and gazed at Sasuke sheepishly. “I was thinking Neji and Lee.”

“Won't Neji be helping Hinata?”

“No. She told me that her father wAS going to be helping her and her sister.”

Sasuke paused in his eating to look at Naruto. “You think they'll want to do it?” At that moment Sasuke hated the fact that he didn't know them the way Naruto did.

“It's an opportunity to kick our asses, of course they will.”

Sasuke returned to his rice. “You mean try to kick our asses.”

Naruto grabbed a nearby spoon and threw it at Sasuke's head. “You know what I meant.” Sasuke moved his head to the right and dodged the flying utensil.

Early the next morning Naruto and Sasuke hunted down Neji and Lee, which wasn't too hard considering they were on their way to train together. Naruto sat them down and explained to them the plan.

“I don't see a problem with it. What do you think Neji-kun?”

“When?”

Naruto looked over at Sasuke before answering. “This whole month.”

Naruto and Sasuke watched as Neji and Lee thought it over. Neji turned to Lee, and shrugged his shoulders, Lee smiled at him. Neji turned back to Naruto and Sasuke and leaned back into a more comfortable position.

“What exactly is it you need to learn?”

Naruto released the breath he was holding and flopped down roughly. From the floor Naruto hunted around his pockets before pulling out a scroll and handing it to Neji.

“We have to master all those jutsus, as well as work on out combat skills using little to no jutsus.”

Neji unrolled the scroll. Lee leaned in closer to read it as well. Lee whistled as he read the list, Neji simply arched a brow. Thinking Neji and Lee might back out Sasuke spoke up.

“We already know how to do them. We just need to master them and do them all, back to back.”

Neji lifted his gaze from the scroll to Sasuke. “Back to back?” Naruto and Sasuke nodded in response. Neji rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Naruto. “Do any of you have missions?”

“All missions are on hold.”

“I suggest we leave as soon as possible so we can do some training without distractions.”

Naruto turned back to look at Sasuke and nudged him with his elbow. “Told you they wouldn't turn us down.”

The next morning Naruto and Sasuke made their way to the Hyuuga compound. They had all agreed to meet there. Naruto was wearing the back body suit that came with the Anbu uniform, but without the white vest. He was also wearing the protectors given to him by Sasuke and the special non-reflective forehead protector given to him by Sakura. Sasuke was also wearing all black. Both of them have their packs pull of weapons. Naruto even found a way to strap both his katana and pack to his back without it being too uncomfortable.

As they entered the large open patio area of the compound they see that Neji and Lee are already waiting for them. Lee was in his normal green jumpsuit and vest. Neji on the other hand was wearing a modified kimono. Naruto had seen it only once before. He called it “Neji's battle kimono of doom”. Neji never liked that name. Next to Lee and Neji were Hinata and Hiashi.

Naruto smiled widely as Hinata walked up to him and hugged him. After some quick hello's the boys where on their way. Naruto asked Hinata to notify Sakura, so she wouldn't freak out at the lack of letters, and told her not to worry. Hinata said she wouldn't worry too much.

Running through the forest Sasuke couldn't help but get the feeling that he was the only one who had no idea where they were going. The other three all seemed to know when to turn and which way to go. Sasuke felt a little left out. He was sure if Naruto had been told the place he would have informed Sasuke. The only explanation was that Naruto, Neji and Lee had been to the place before and just forgot to inform Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't say anything though. He didn't want to draw attention to his insecurity when it came to Neji and Lee's friendship with Naruto. Thankfully they only traveled for one day and by that evening they arrived.

The thick forest gave way to a small lake. A large waterfall that came off of some very steep cliffs feed the lake. The thickness of the forest hid the waterfall very well. Sasuke didn't even know it was there until he was almost upon it. A sandy shore surrounded the lake. The whole place was like an oasis, which worried Sasuke.

“Won't people come here for the waterfall?”

Naruto, who was stretching his back next to Sasuke answered. “No this area is secret and protected. It's one of the Anbu training areas.” That explained how they knew where to go.

As Sasuke began to remove his pack, Neji approached them. “Okay let's start.”

Sasuke watched Naruto drop his pack and stomp over to Neji. “Oh come on, don't go all Anbu on us.”

Neji remained silent, making Naruto even more annoyed. Sasuke looked over to the side and saw Lee sitting on a rock preparing his weapons. Not wanting to hear Naruto bitch, Sasuke joined Lee on the rock. Sasuke decided to use this opportunity to try and get on friendlier terms with Neji and Lee. He would not be left out or left beind.

“I never got to ask what squad you and Neji were assigned to.”

“I'm in squad seven. We specialize in the care and escort of special personnel.”

“So you guard people?”

“That and protect and secure an area before they arrive. It's very exciting work actually.”

Sasuke could imagine. Having to make check and double check an area. Making sure there were no ambushes or spies within the building. Meeting important people. At first glance Lee's job did seem boring, but once some thought was put into it that opinion changed. “What about Neji?”

“He's in squad three. It's one of the few squads that specialize in combat. It there's an attack he's one of the first ones out there.”

The pair fall silent. Sasuke couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of pressure Neji must feel when his squad gets called out. He glanced over at Neji and Naruto who were still arguing.

“Oh come on at least let us rest.”

“You don't have time for that.”

“Just because you're used to a training schedule like that doesn't mean we all are.”

Not understanding what Naruto was saying, Sasuke tapped Lee's leg. “What is Naruto talking about?”

“Neji's squad trains intensely. Your squads training habits tend to rub off on you.”

Sasuke was about to turn back to his weapons when Naruto walked by and grabbed Sasuke by his upper arm and dragged him away.

“What the fuck dobe?”

“It's you and me versus Lee and stupid pale eyes.”

“Yeah that's mature. Hey let me go before you break my arm.”

Naruto let go of Sasuke, who fell unceremoniously. Annoyed, Sasuke got up and smacked Naruto in the back of the head. Naruto snapped his head around and glared at Sasuke.

“What the hell was that for?”

“For being an idiot.”

Naruto snarled and tried to punch Sasuke, but he was so angry that his punch was sloppy. Sasuke was able to dodge it easily, but Naruto lost his footing and fell on Sasuke. Sasuke tried to maintain his balance, but was unable too. They both feel into the lake. Over the sound of Naruto cussing, Sasuke heard Neji and Lee laughing. He looked up to see them perched on a tree.

“You're not supposed to fight your teammate.”

At that moment Sasuke wanted nothing more than for Neji's hair to catch on fire. Instead he got up, grabbed his weapons and marched away. Naruto followed suit, but he was still saying profanities the entire way.

Three days. That's how long it had been, and no one had won yet. There had been some close calls, but nothing definite so far. It wasn't that the rules were difficult. They were actually rather simple. “Kill” the other team. The problem was the other team. One was trained to fight and the other to secure large areas. It was difficult to get close. Naruto and Sasuke had been able to combine their talents to get in close; they've just been unable to “kill” them.

For the past three days Sasuke had been using his Sharingan sparingly. With the lack of food and sleep he knew he would have to conserve his chakra. He knew Naruto had been using the Kyuubi's chakra to enhance his senses, but even he was starting to run low.

“Naruto, lets go get some water.”

Naruto didn't argue with him. They needed water, badly. As carefully as possible they make their way to the lake. They hung back a bit to observe and make sure was safe to come out in the open. While scanning the area, Sasuke noticed something strange. He moved to sit next to Naruto.

“Dobe, does the water here change levels?”

“No, why?”

“Look at the sand.” Naruto gave Sasuke a skeptic look before looking at the sand. As he looked around, a look of understanding covered his face.

“Our footprints are gone.”

“They've been here and they did something.”

Naruto jumped down from his perch and got as close to the edge of the tree line as he dared too. He heard Sasuke land on the ground behind him. Naruto grabbed some nearby dirt and blew it toward the lake. As the dirt drifted away, wires became visible in the dust cloud.

“Should we set them off?'

Naruto turned to Sasuke when he didn't answer. What he saw scared the living daylights out of him. Sasuke was smiling.

“No, you'll set them off.”

Lee and Neji ran as fast as they could toward the lake. Their trap had worked, and it was time to move in for the “kill”. Upon arriving they decided to observe the pair before actually jumping in and fighting.

Naruto was tangled in the wires. Sasuke and a few of Naruto's clones were desperately trying to get him out. Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the area. When he saw that there was no one hiding anywhere in the vicinity he signaled to Lee that it was okay to attack.

Sasuke stopped in his struggle to free Naruto and look in the direction Neji and Lee were coming from. “Here they come.” Sasuke turned to them and pulled out two kunai, one in each hand.

“I'll handle the clones and Sasuke. You get Naruto.”

Lee stopped running and pouted at Neji. “Let me have a few clones.” Neji didn't respond, instead he charged at Sasuke.

Two clones stay behind with Naruto and continue to try to free him. All the other clones either help Sasuke or try to stop Lee from getting to Naruto. Unfortunately, Lee is able to break past the clones and move toward Naruto. Sasuke saw Lee advancing, and decided to flee. Not wanting him to get away, Neji followed Sasuke into the forest. Neji could tell that Sasuke was running low on chakra. When he tried to punch Sasuke, some stray clones blocked the punch. The clones even attempted to use the Rasengan on Neji, but to no avail. After destroying all the clones, Neji was finally able to punch Sasuke. While Sasuke was in a daze, Neji charged at him and hit him with the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou. Sasuke fell to his knees. From the ground Sasuke raised his head and smirked at Neji.

“I wouldn't smile if I were you Uchiha.”

“I'll tell him you said that.”

Neji felt the blood fall from his face. In an instant he was running back toward the lake. But when he got there Naruto, the clones and Lee were gone. All that reminded was someone in the shape of Neji.

“How did you like my clones? The better I know the person the better my clone. I knew you wouldn't be able to tell us apart from them.”

“You and Sasuke were among the clones.” Neji mentally punched himself for his stupidity. He should have been more suspicious of the pair.

“I expected better Neji. They got Lee. All that's left is you, and since they're such nice guys they've given you the chance to hide.”

Neji took a step back. “They?”

The Neji imposter started to laugh. “Really expected better.” With that the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto and Lee sat underneath the shade of a tree. Naruto and Sasuke didn't have to worry about Lee anymore. They had “killed” him. Now all they had to do was “kill” Neji.

“Naruto-kun, was it wise to let Neji go?”

“It'll be more fun.”

“He'll be ruthless.”

“I know. It'll be great.”

Sasuke dropped down the trees and sat down. “Nothing can pass those traps.”

Naruto nodded and sat up. He opened up his pouch and pulled out some food for him, Sasuke and Lee. As they ate, Lee started to laugh.

“The clone idea was genius.”

Naruto smiled. “Yeah, but he won't fall for it again.”

“We should just get it over with.” Naruto silently agreed with Sasuke.

“Can I join?”

“Technically you're dead.”

Lee slouched and frowned. “Oh yeah.”

“Tomorrow then Naruto?”

“Yeah. I'm getting tired of this anyway.” That night Naruto and Sasuke went over a dozen possible attack plans, none of which were very good.

After getting as a good a sleep as possible considering the situation the three ninja's moved. Even though Lee was “dead”, trying sneak up on Neji was going to be difficult. Lee understood this and hung back. He kept himself as hidden from view as possible.

Naruto and Sasuke decided to start at the lake and work their way toward the direction Lee and Neji came at them last time. But when they get to the lake all three of them stopped dead in their tracks. Neji was there, but he was in the water washing his hair. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's sleeve and shook him. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and shook his head. There was no jutsu there. That's Neji. Naruto released Sasuke and stomped over to where Neji was sitting.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Without pausing in his hair washing Neji looked over his shoulder at Naruto. “I knew I wouldn't be able to handle you and Sasuke, so I decided that it was time to move on.”

“So you give up?”

“No. I'm ending this training session.”

Naruto turned his back on Neji and waved at Sasuke. “Hey Sasuke! He gives up!”

“I did not say that.”

Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto didn't hear Neji or simply choose to ignore him. Not that it mattered. When Naruto removed his shirt and did a cannonball into the water, Sasuke and Lee didn't question him. Within ten minutes all four of them were clean and relaxing. Sasuke moved over to a small wall created by some rocks. The rocks provided a nice shade. As he got comfortable, Neji came and joined him.

“After lunch we'll start with those techniques.” Sasuke grunted. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the rocks. Sleep sounded good right about now. “I'll help you two try to maximize your chakra.”

“How will you do that?”

“It's possible to increase ones chakra pool just like one can increase muscle mass. You have to start small though. You have to train the body because if you pump out more chakra than the body is used to it can damage the body. Just like trying to lift more weight than one is capable of.”

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Neji. “Is the damage permanent?”

“Depends.”

Sasuke turned his head back and closed his eyes again. He couldn't help but worry about Naruto. Was Naruto's body accustom to the huge chakra surge? Naruto didn't release that chakra often. All Sasuke could picture in his head was the look of concern on Sakura's face when she first examined Naruto's chakra paths.

After eating lunch Neji and Lee sit back as Naruto and Sasuke prepared to demonstrate the jutsus. Sasuke went first. He was able to make it do two thirds of the jutsus before he had to eat a solider pill to finish. Naruto on the other hand started blasting through the jutsus, but like Sasuke he only made it two thirds of the way through before he too had to eat a solider pill.

Neji had a quick word with Lee before sitting back up and looking at Naruto and Sasuke. “Sasuke, we have to increase your chakra pool. To do that you have to train with Lee and just keep doing the jutsus.”

Sasuke nodded. He knew that was his problem. He had to increase his chakra pool once before, so he already knew how it all worked.

Neji turned his gaze on Naruto and sighed. “Naruto, you have the chakra pool to do all the jutsus. You're simply pumping too much chakra into them. You'll work with me to try to learn how to fix that.”

As Sasuke walked off with Lee to kick some trees to death he could tell that Naruto was slightly embarrassed. Naruto wasn't really embarrassed, more like irritated that after so many years he had yet to master chakra control. Neji led Naruto over to the lake.

“Do a simple fire jutsu for me.” Naruto faced the lake, took a deep breath and performed a jutsu. “You're using more chakra than necessary. Try using only half the amount.” Again Naruto turned to the lake. It took him longer to prepare. Usually when he did jutsu's he just went with the flow. Now he had to actually think about it. When he felt prepared he did the justu, with half the chaka like instructed. The problem was the fire was large but burned out suddenly.

“Damnit.”

“That's okay. The amount was good. Now try to spread the chakra out. Think of it as a steady stream. It'll last longer instead of a sudden, short burst.”

Naruto tried again, only this time the fire was so pathetic. It did last a lot longer though.

“That shouldn't even count. Are you sure I can do it with this amount.”

Neji reached into his pouch, pulled out a kunai and threw it into the forest. Moments later Lee and Sasuke walked out of the trees.

“You called?”

“Sasuke, do a fire jutsu using the least amount of chakra possible.”

Sasuke shrugged and went to stand next to Naruto. Unknowingly Sasuke did the same jutsu Naruto was using before. The flame was perfect and intense.

“See Naruto, he used the same amount of chakra you did. You just have to learn to spread it out properly.”

Naruto grinded his teeth together. He wasn't sure what pissed him off more, Neji or the smirk on Sasuke's face. As Sasuke walked past him, he leaned in to whisper in Naruto's ear.

“And you taught chakra control. How disgraceful.”

Naruto instantly lunged at Sasuke, but was stopped midair by Neji. Neji grabbed Naruto from the back of the shirt and dragged him off.

“Lee eat your food, it'll get cold.”

Neji and Lee sat around a campfire eating some pheasants. Naruto and Sasuke were somewhere in the forest training. After two weeks of training, Naruto and Sasuke were progressing nicely.

“But what about Naruto and Sasuke?”

“I don't think they'll come.”

“They really are dedicated aren't they?”

“More like stubborn and prideful.”

After spending two weeks with the duo, Neji and Lee realized a lot of things. For one Naruto and Sasuke were very prideful. All it took was one jab at their pride for either of them to work like a maniac simply to prove you wrong. The pair also rarely rested. It seemed only when they were on the verge of passing out did they consider sleeping or eating. Neji and Lee got into many arguments with the pair over not taking care of themselves.

Suddenly Naruto broke the silence with a scream, which was followed by Sasuke yelling, “You idiot!”

Neither Neji nor Lee flinched. That was another thing they learned about Naruto and Sasuke; their idea of teamwork was different from most others. They fought, called each other names, mocked, nagged, fought, argued, screamed, fought, sabotaged, and fought. Yet somehow it all worked. There were silent encouragements, smirks, pats on the back, and most importantly their rivalry. It was those little things that one might easily overlook that pushed Naruto and Sasuke to try harder. Neji and Lee didn't have that kind of relationship. Theirs was more of a silent rivalry. It was not active, but more for entertainment, whereas for Naruto and Sasuke it was a necessity.

“Hey Bastard, you did that on purpose!”

There was a loud crash from behind Lee and Neji. Neji jumped, grabbed Lee and got out of the way. A tree had fallen right where they had been sitting. They turned to see a very irritated Sasuke and an embarrassed Naruto.

“Sorry about that.” Naruto scratched the back of his head and shrugged. Sasuke on the other hand tensed his shoulder and balled up his fists.

“You idiot!”

Naruto immediately lowered his arm and turned to Sasuke with a stomp of his foot. “Shut up!”

Neji slowly got up and started looking around for any food that might not have been crushed. Lee sighed, grabbed their water containers and headed for the lake.

Sakura took a step back from her table so she could see all the items scattered on it.

“Okay let's see, Lee, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Hinata, Kakashi, and Tsunade. Yup that's everyone.”

Sakura walked into her small kitchen and served herself some water. It was another hot day in the Sand. There was no air conditioning in the Sand. It wasn't really needed though. There was almost always a nice breeze. For that reason all the buildings in the village had no shortage of windows. As for Sakura's apartment, it was heaven. Sure it was small, but it had an amazing view. From one window she could gaze upon the entire village. From the other window she could see the sand dunes. But what she really wanted to see were trees. She missed the greenery. As she finished her drink there was a knock on the door. When Sakura opened the door she was surprised to see Gaara standing there.

“May I?”

Sakura opened the door more and moved aside. “Of course.” The only other time Gaara had entered her apartment was when he showed it to her. But he walked in like he was a regular visitor. He walked over to the covered table, pulled out a chair and sat down. Sakura quickly served him some water, which he accepted.

“Presents for your friends?”

“Yes.” Gaara continued to stare at the gifts. Sakura, waited a moment for Gaara to say something else, but when he didn't she decided to continue. “This is for the Hokage,” she pointed to a bag of herbs, “Kakashi,” a romance novel that hadn't been released in Konoha, “my best friend,” a bag of flower seeds, “Sasuke”, a book of basic Sand jutsu's, “a wedding present for Naruto and Hinata,” a formal tea set, with extras. Lastly was a small wrapped box with a bow on it. Sakura blushed as she pointed at it. “That's for Lee.”

“You can't wait to go back.” It was more of an observation than a statement, so Sakura didn't reply right away.

“Yeah, I miss them.”

“Do Naruto and his wife have a place to live?”

Sakura didn't correct Gaara on his mislabeling of Hinata, since she was basically his wife. “Actually, I think they were going to stay with us or at the Hyuuga compound until they find a place.”

Gaara nodded his head and smiled. “That's good. Now I know what to get them. We leave in a few days for Konoha.” Gaara finished his drink and got up to leave. As he showed himself out, Sakura grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

“Thank you for everything.”

Gaara's eyes soften in a way Sakura didn't know possible. “No, thank you.”

Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou - Divination Field, 64 Strikes

Okay that was 27 pages of pure fanfic. Now I just want to say I don't know when my next update will be. My father recently passed and I've been busy helping my mom. The only reason I was able to put this out was because 75% of it was already written at the time of his passing.

Now for the not sad stuff. My beta is busy with school, so this chapter hasn't been beta'd yet. I know, bad me. This chapter is also longer than usually because I didn't want to cut the training in half. I'm trying to move things along, but I don't think I'm doing a good job at it. I'm trying to get things rolling along. Oh I also want to say that trying to keep track of time in this chapter was a bitch. This is the last time I do things like “in one month”, “two weeks later” because then I gotta make sure it all matches. If you see any weird time gaps, please either let me know or completely ignore it.

Now I know fanfiction doesn't like it when I answer reviews. But you know what I don't care. You took the time to write me so the least I could do is write back. If they remove my fic, I got it uploaded on two other sites.

FF Reviews

Dragon Man 180 - I take it you're not an Itachi fan then.

JohnnyG - ::smacks forehead:: That is what happens when you don't know how to spell a word, so you wing it and hope MS does it for you, but they pick the wrong word.

TimeShifter - Thanks for the warning. But I've done this for 20 chapters and I ain't stopping. If they do get rid of it, just find me elsewhere. Those two letters were from Sasuke, from way in the beginning. It seems like someone wants a lemon. Don't worry I'll give it to you.

The dark icon writers - So Dimitri, how many DIW's are there? Thanks for the kind words, and yes finding something non yaoi is hard. But I gotta admit, I am a yaoi fan.

Nonengel - I'm glad you liked the Sasuke punching Lee scene. Sasuke is so not prepared for girls crying. Poor dude.

Kwisatz Haderach - Did I spell that right? Thanks for the compliments. They make me warm inside.

Lahmikhara - Curiosity is a good thing and I'm glad my fic sparked yours.

AFF Reviews

Jbrock - you know the whole front door thing didn't even click in my head until you mentioned it.

Vensert - It's good to hear a dialogue compliment. I've read some fics where it's terrible and I've read some where it's the most amazing thing ever.

Church - ::bows back::

Sakura - Love the little cough you did there. Sorry no yaoi in this one. But if you want some of my yaoi, just look in my profile. I know pimping my own stuff to you.

MM Reviews

::cries:: I got no love from them this time.

Remember to always flame, review, yell, and comment. It makes authors happy.