AN: When I started this chapter, it was right after posting the last chapter of Twin Star Pandemonium and I thought to myself, "Yeah, no, this will take me a month to write 3 at the most." Now here I am 10 months later. I can only apologize for the slow and long updates. Trust me I wish I could offer an update at least every other month.

Next, I will be focusing on Crimson Knightmare primarily with Twin Star as a secondary. I could promise when you can expect updates for those stories but I think we all know they would be lie at this point.

SEMI-IMPORTANT: When I first started this story, I said that Elemental77's A Change in Life inspired me and that is true. What I don't think I mentioned was that at the time I had just finished watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the umpteenth time and Winry also helped inspire this fic. She was different from most heroines that rather standing with the protagonist on the frontlines she was supporting them. Now I hope that no one thinks I'm the sort of idiot that thinks that a woman can't fight with the hero standing beside them. But what I liked about Winry was that she was Ed's rock, the pillar that supported him, and like Rose said Winry was ultimately responsible for getting Edward back on his feet. I wanted to write a character in a story like that; someone who didn't need to prove their worth through fighting but rather someone that was just there for the protagonist and Anna came to mind.

Why this is semi-important is because recently I've been thinking of what Anna's role could be going forward. Currently I am still firm in her just supporting Naruto, although the idea of changing that has crossed my mind, but I do want her to be able to fight so I've been considering what weapon would suit Anna, Zenki, and Goki but not much has come to mind so I figured I'd see what others think. I do know that I'd want to avoid her having something like a giant axe that was bigger than her.

---

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Shaman King

Chapter 9

"Talking"
'Thinking'
(Author's Note)

The second round of the Chunin exams had ended and Team 7 had found themselves benefiting from the fact that they had a couple days of rest from their ordeal within the Forest of Death, unlike Team 10 who arrived on the final day and only got a couple of hours of rest before they were all called to gather.

Standing before them was the Hokage, the proctors of the previous two tests of the exams and a few of their aids, and the Jōnin senseis of the passing teams. Now while the Gennin of the Rookie 9, not including the members of Team 7, knew that they should be paying attention to the Hokage as he explained something about peace and war and the role of the Chunin Exams in it they couldn't help but keep glancing at a certain orange clad former classmate of theirs. Now to the average person who didn't know the blonde Uzumaki nothing about what he was doing should have been the least bit noteworthy, certainly not enough to distract the rookies like they were, but for those who had been his classmates for years there was something off about Naruto. The blonde was exuberant to put it mildly while others would call it impatient. He never stood at attention like he was now. The idea that Naruto could stand still seemed almost impossible as the teen tended to practically vibrate in place whenever he tried.

Of course, the reason for Naruto's strange behavior was standing on the balcony above them, most having dismissed the blonde girl after seeing her. For Naruto the last thing that he wanted to do was something that Anna might find embarrassing right in front of her so he was going out of his way to at least appear respectful. Everyone though refocused on the exam when a sickly-looking man suddenly appeared in front of the Hokage informing the aged leader that preliminary matches needed to be held as too many people had passed the second test.

The first match of the preliminaries was to be Sasuke against one of Kabuto's teammates so everyone else was to head up to the balconies and those that knew him finally saw Naruto acting like himself as he nearly ran there only to become confused when he came to a stop beside the blonde girl and started to talk to her in a way that made it clear that they knew each other.

"Anna," Naruto greeted his fiancée happily.

If Anna let out an exasperated sigh, then it was for appearances sake only because she was also sporting a small smile though it was hard for most to have noticed it. At the same time the blonde Itako looked Naruto over with a critical eye in search for any visible injury. Thankfully she couldn't see anything that would be cause for concern, but Anna did note that his clothes were slightly worse for wear. "Your, okay?" She asked needlessly.

Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "Was there ever any doubt?" Naruto returned.

Smile still present Anna closed her eyes as she shook her head. "No, I suppose not." She yielded.

To offset Anna's small smile Naruto gave a wide toothy grin happy in the confidence that Anna had in him. It was a little hard for Naruto to believe but he had sorely missed Anna in the few days that they had been separated especially when before they would go months between seeing each other. But after being reunited in Wave they had hardly spent much time away from each other, these last five days had been the longest since.

Amidamaru appeared beside the pair a smile on his visage. "I am glad to see that you've come through this trial unscathed Naruto." The samurai ghost informed his partner.

Aware of everyone in the room Naruto kept himself from replying verbally to Amidamaru like he wanted to and gave a slight nod of his head in response. The shinobi shaman did absently notice that although he had missed his friend and Guardian Ghost it wasn't anywhere near the same levels as what he felt toward Anna.

Haku walked up to the pair, trio really. "Hello Miss Anna." Haku greeted his landlady.

Anna turned her attention to the black-haired pretty boy, "Haku." She greeted him evenly, looking him over for injuries as well, though not with the focus that she had Naruto, and once more was pleased to find nothing amiss.

"How are you here?" Haku asked making sure to remain perfectly respectful in his questioning or risk incurring Anna's wrath.

"I guess you could say this is the Hokage's way of apologizing after a disagreement we had earlier in the week." Anna answered but refusing to elaborate on what that disagreement had been about. Something that was easily picked up on by Haku as the pretty raven-haired boy didn't question it further.

'Eh, Jiji disagreed with Anna? He's so brave.' Naruto thought in awe. As to be expected of a man that lived through three Great Shinobi wars. 'Or he's going senile.' Naruto added on.

He could be going senile.

.

.

.

.

He's most likely going senile

Seeing Haku satisfied with her answer Anna turned her attention to someone else. "Sakura," She called.

The pink haired girl in question couldn't help the flinch that she gave at the sound of Anna saying her name, having silently hoped to sneak by the blonde without being noticed, but now that she had been acknowledged she had no choice but to turn and face the girl. "What?" Sakura said dully. After what happened in the Forest of Death, even with a few days' rest, Sakura was just too tired to fight with Anna right now.

Anna stared at Sakura silently for a couple of seconds causing the pinkette grow further anxious and start fidgeting before answering. "You've grown." She said approvingly.

A stupefied look crossed Sakura's face at the unexpected words. Then a bright smile took its place as Sakura's eyes shined brilliantly and her cheeks grew a rosy red. 'What is this? A compliment? Positive affirmation? From her? Why does that make me so happy?' Sakura thought her mind racing at almost dizzying speeds. "T-thanks." Sakura stuttered after a second as her smile turned shy and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Naruto stood between the two girls his head turning from one to the other, Sakura's cute shy expression and Anna's look of approval – … and was that a smile! –, as something new started to fester up inside him. And he didn't like it.

"Hey, hey, hey Anna." Naruto said moving to stand between the two girls. "Don't you think I've grown too?" The blonde shinobi shaman asked while pointing at himself.

Jealousy.

Anna tilted her head in thought as she took in her fiancé once more. Then she lifted her hand and patted his head. "Nope. Still as short as ever." She stated factually.

Naruto's jaw nearly dropped to the ground at the statement. "Wha-? T-that's not what I-? I'm not," Naruto stammered out in protest.

Anna moved to the guard rail to look at the fight that was to take place down below but mostly so that no one saw the smile that adorned her face. 'Of course, you've grown.' The blonde Itako thought to herself. 'Each day without fail you grow stronger.' She thought with pride. "Then there is him." Anna said her eyes now trained on the last member of Team 7.

Not knowing who Anna was it was only natural that the other Genin from Konoha would find themselves staring at Anna in curiosity. They only became more curious when they failed to spot a headband that identified as a kunoichi that would help explain the familiarity that she addressed the members of Team 7 with. For one blonde haired kunoichi the desire to know who Anna was, was nearly unbearable. Blame it on a clan that specialized on gathering intel from others or just her inner gossip, but whenever something caught her attention Ino Yamanaka would go to whatever lengths necessary to satisfy that interest. Luckily this time it would be as simple as badgering an old friend into telling her what she wanted to know.

So, with all the stealth training of a proper kunoichi… for a Gennin… well someone a little better than an academy student… okay so Ino just walked up to Sakura once the pinkette had been shoved aside by Naruto and Sakura moved to stand a couple feet away from the two blondes and ravenette – semantics – either way Ino did it in the most inconspicuous way that she could. "Hey Sakura," Ino said nonchalantly to draw her frenemy's attention.

Sakura looked toward the heavens as she silently prayed for patience when she heard Ino's voice. All the while wondering who she pissed off in a previous life that every person that tormented her ended up being blonde. With a tired sigh turned to face the other kunoichi. "What do you want Ino-pig?" The pinkette asked.

Ino let out an annoyed huff. "Sheesh Forehead I just wanted to talk a little." Ino grumbled.

"Riiight," Sakura drawled with a roll of her eyes. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Even with how estranged they had become with their mutual romantic interest in the last Uchiha, Sakura still knew her old friend well enough that she could guess that Ino was here to gossip.

Still feeling a little annoyed Ino stared at Sakura for a second longer with narrowed eyes. Still her curiosity eventually won out as she drew herself closer to Sakura. "That blonde girl." Ino whispered, "Who is she? She seems to know you and your team."

Of course, the subject of what Ino wanted to gossip about wasn't at all a surprise to Sakura, but the pinkette had hoped that it would be something else. Grabbing Ino's arm Sakura dragged her a little further away from the others, of courses being surrounded by the other teams from Konoha meant that they really couldn't go all that far, and whispered a lowly as she could to Ino. "That's Anna, Anna Kyoyama." Sakura started off. "And trust me your better off not getting involved with her." She warned.

Rather than being dissuaded by Sakura's warning Ino found herself more interested in the other blonde girl. "Why? Is she a kunoichi? She doesn't look any older than us so she can't be that much stronger." Ino observed of Anna her eyes narrowing in displeasure and a frown crossing her face as she noticed how focused Anna was on Sasuke.

"Well, she is our age but no she is a civilian." Sakura corrected.

"She is a civilian?" Ino repeated flummoxed. "Then why is she here?" The Yamanaka questioned.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I heard something about an apology." The pinkette relayed having not heard clearly in her effort to avoid Anna. "And even if she is a civilian Anna is… well…" Sakura started only to trail off at the end. How exactly do you describe Anna to someone who never met the girl and properly convey just how intimidating she was even if she was not a shinobi.

Ino stared at Sakura for a second while the emerald eyed girl floundered about with her words with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever," Ino dismissed after a bit, she was still rather curious about the girl but right then something else had grabbed her attention that she prioritized as more important. "I don't like how this chick is staring at my Sasuke. Don't tell me she has her eye on him. She better not get any funny ideas in her head." The Yamanaka heiress grumbled. While confident in her looks and charm that didn't mean that she enjoyed having so many girls after the guy that was so obviously meant for her.

Ino had no sooner finished griping then Sakura let out an unrepentant unladylike snort. "Yeah, no." Sakura dismissed Ino's worry.

"Huh?" Ino uttered confused.

"I'm saying that there is absolutely no chance that Anna is interested in Sasuke like that." The female member of Team 7 claimed confidently.

The match had only just begun but Anna could tell that the last Uchiha was struggling for some reason, but that wasn't the reason that she was now focusing so intently on the raven-haired youth. 'This feeling is like,' "Possession."

"Possession?" Naruto, Haku, and Amidamaru echo from beside the Itako.

Anna nodded her head. "There is something about Sasuke that seems off somehow. Like he is being possessed and not all at the same time." She said thoughtfully.

"Oh," Kakashi's voice came from behind the Gennin. "What makes you say that?" The masked Jounin asked curiously.

Looking back at Kakashi, Anna answered. "It's just a feeling." She stated. "As an Itako I've naturally come across cases of possession before but this is… different. I'm not sure why." Anna conceded reluctantly; seeing it as personal failure on her part. "I can tell you that woman is giving off a similar feeling though." The blonde added nodding her head down at Anko. (1)

"I see," Kakashi murmured. What Anna just imparted confirmed what Anko had suspected and proceeded to inform the Hokage and by extension him about. Orochimaru had marked Sasuke with his Curse Seal just like he had Anko all those years ago. It would certainly help explain Sasuke's rather lackluster performance thus far. Sure, to those not familiar with the Uchiha's progress since graduating from the academy it would certainly seem like he was doing well enough holding his own, especially against an opponent with years of more experience than him, but being his student Kakashi knew that Sasuke was struggling far more than he should be.

---

Sasuke was certainly more aware of this than anyone else. Any attempt to use his chakra or a jutsu resulted in the mark on his neck reacting painfully and with Kakashi's threat of stopping the match if he lost control had Sasuke struggling just to keep up.

It didn't help that taijutsu, the only thing left to him, was being countered by his opponent's jutsu that allowed him to drain Sasuke's chakra with just a touch. Disadvantaged as he was though Sasuke refused to lose here especially not to some second-rate ninja who couldn't pass these exams after seven tries.

To make matters worse, as Sasuke discovered, the damn mark seemed to react of its own accord anyway even when he didn't use chakra.

Still the last Uchiha fought unrelentingly even when it felt like he'd collapse at any second each time Yoroi drained more of his chakra. It wasn't until he spotted a certain someone watching on from the balcony above did inspiration strike Sasuke. With a smirk and renewed energy coursing through his body Sasuke turned to face his opponent fully.

"Oh, are you ready to accept defeat." Yoroi jeered.

"Like I'd ever lose to you." Sasuke returned confidently.

"Tch, arrogant brat." The masked man muttered dashing toward the raven haired Uchiha. He was a little surprised when he saw Sasuke dash at him given that the younger boy knew how his jutsu worked. Still, he recovered from his surprise quickly enough and as far as Yoroi cared it only meant that Sasuke was running to his inventible loss. What he didn't expect was for the teen to disappear from his field of view just as he took a swipe at him. "Where-?" Yoroi didn't even get finish his question before he felt something slam into his chin and lift him off the ground.

Lee, in equal parts frustration and awe, watched as Sasuke performed a move that he had initially used against the Uchiha in their bout just before the start of the exams. It was a flawless execution of something that Sasuke had only been able to see once!

Yoroi wondered to himself exactly when things had turned for him. One moment he was moments away from defeating the last Uchiha and now he found himself soaring through the air as Sasuke appeared behind him as if he were Yoroi's shadow. "Dancing Leaf Shadow." Yoroi groused as he registered the move.

Staying in Yoroi's shadow Sasuke felt the mark flare to life as if aware that this would be its last opportunity to assert its influence over the black haired Gennin. Sasuke bit back a scream as the pain he was feeling now was excruciating. He could feel it pulsing as it fervently spread across his body as quickly as it could. 'No!' Sasuke roared within the confines of his mind. 'I can't lose here.' Kakashi's warning from before coming to mind. 'I won't let this thing do as it pleases with me!' Through force of will, his teeth gritted, Sasuke forced the mark to recede until it once more lay dormant. Taking a deep breath to regain his focus Sasuke returned his attention back to his opponent with a smirk once more on his face. "I'll admit that I borrowed that move from someone else." Sasuke remarked confidently now that he was on the cusp of victory. "But from here on out it'll be all original." The Uchiha swore twisting in mid-air to drive a kick into Yoroi's side.

Rage bubbled up within the older shinobi as he raised his arm to block. "Did you think that it was going to be that easy?!" Yoroi demanded.

"I'm not done!" Sasuke shot back using his leg as leverage to spin himself around to go over Yoroi's guard and land a punch to the man's chest. "One more!" With another turn Sasuke brought his other foot down onto the man causing him to crash harshly to the ground below.

From there it only took Hayate Gekko, a sickly-looking man, and the proctor of the preliminary matches, to confirm Yoroi was unconscious and declare Sasuke the winner. As soon as Sasuke's match had come to an end Kakashi appeared at the Uchiha's side before they both vanished much to the confusion of most gathered there as they began to speculate amongst themselves.

...

Anna though was completely focused on where the pair stood before. More specifically where Sasuke had been standing. Now a shinobi's senses – sight, hearing, smell – were better than most spirit practitioner's it was just the natural order of things given their respective professions. A shinobi had to be able to react to the faintest trace of anything or it could cost them their life. It was only amongst the higher levels of the spiritually aware, the elite, that they stood on somewhat equal footing. In Anna's humble opinion she would rate herself as being above average in terms of ability and power.

Anyone who had been slapped by Anna would vehemently argue against the idea that she was only above average.

So, while she hadn't seen anything Anna was aware that something had happened. Because while a spirit practitioner's physical senses were inferior when compared to a shinobi, they excelled sensing the metaphysical. And though it had only lasted for a couple of seconds Anna clearly perceived the sensation of Sasuke being possessed growing stronger. "What was that?" The Itako wondered outload softly.

"You noticed," Haku remarked from where he was standing on Naruto's right while Anna stood to the Uzumaki's left. Anna's eyes flickered over to the Hyōton user indicating for him to continue. "For a moment that mark that Sasuke received in the Forest of Death emerged."

"Mark?" Anna and Naruto questioned, neither knowing about any mark.

Haku silently cursed himself having forgotten to tell Naruto about the mark on his neck when he had the chance. With no other option Haku told the two blondes about what Orochimaru had done to Naruto and Sasuke and the mark that was now on both boys' necks. As soon as Haku finished Anna grabbed Naruto by the shoulder and spun him around and tugged down the zipper of his jacket. She turned his head to the side to get a look at his neck and then turned it the other way when she didn't find anything on that side

Anna's sudden actions drew more than one curious eye. A certain girl grew apprehensive when she saw the familiar way that Anna was touching Naruto.

Anna stared at the three crescent like marks with an almost cold look in her eyes. Silently she traced every mark with a finger trying to ascertain anything that she could about it. Although unlike Sasuke and that purple haired woman, who allegedly both had the similar marks, Anna didn't get the same sense of possession from Naruto. Something that should have been nearly impossible anyway since Naruto was a shaman, only nearly impossible though.

Anna knew that there were only two ways that a shaman could end up being possessed. The first is if they allowed it to happen. Something that Anna fully expected of her fiancé at some point. The other was if the spirit was just extraordinarily powerful and overshadowed the individual. This was an exceedingly rare occurrence but something that every spiritually aware person feared. That was why every measure was taken to ensure that such spirits moved on successfully or were sealed away.

But those were under normal circumstances and there was nothing normal about this. Luckily it seemed her fears were unfounded as despite this strange mark Naruto at least appeared fine.

"Is there something the matter?" A voice called out to them drawing Anna's attention to one Kurenai Yūhi. The reason for Kurenai's approach was twofold; first that as a Jōnin, and a friend and colleague of Kakashi's, she felt it was her responsibility to ensure that nothing was wrong with the Gennin of Team 7. The second was to get Anna away from the Uzumaki as soon as possible because her proximity to Naruto was undoubtedly causing Hinata undue anxiety and she'd rather spare her favorite student, not that she'd ever say that out loud to spare the other two - three with Akamaru - feelings, of that if possible.

With a sigh Anna took a step away from Naruto. "No everything is fine." Anna assured. She didn't know what that mark was but Anna preferred talking about it with the Hokage, or someone else she could trust, before having others find out about it. "It's nice to see you again Miss Yūhi." Anna greeted the raven-haired woman instead. Her refusing to make the sensei of Team 8 aware of the mark on Naruto's neck was something that Haku, the boy in question, and Sakura who gathered what the Itako must be inspecting, picked upped on, and chose to follow Anna's lead.

Kurenai was hardly convinced but decided not to press the issue and instead tell Kakashi so that he could handle it. "Yes, it is nice to see again too. I believe Kakashi said it was Anna Kyoyama, wasn't it?" Kurenai returned.

"That's right." Anna answered with a nod.

"I must admit I was not expecting to see you here Miss Kyoyama." Kurenai told her.

"A special favor by the Hokage." Anna replied instantly. While not the exact truth it wouldn't due to have the Hokage's subordinates think less of the man by having them learn that he, the strongest man in the village, was trying to appease a twelve-year-old girl. Though if he ever managed to truly anger her Anna wasn't afraid or above having the man perform a dogeza in front of the entire village.

"Is that so," Another oddity but not one Kurenai was particularly concerned about, especially if Anna was here on special invitation by the Hokage.

Their conversation was brought to an abrupt end when the next matchup was decided.

Shino Aburame vs. Zaku Abumi

Seeing that one of her own students was selected as a participant for the next match Kurenai decided to return to her own team to offer some last-minute encouragement to her student. And reassure Hinata that she had nothing to worry about with Anna.

---

Far below the arena where the matches were taking place Kakashi just finished sealing away the mark given to Sasuke by Orochimaru, watching as the last blood characters reformed around the mark. The seal itself wasn't perfect as it relied heavily on Sasuke's own will to not give into the temptation of using the marks power, which he informed the Uchiha of before the boy proceeded to pass out, but it was the best that Kakshi could do with his limited knowledge of Fūinjutsu. "It's times like these that I wish that Minato-sensei was still around." Kakashi muttered to himself. While true that Kakashi frequently missed the man Minato's skill in the sealing arts would prove invaluable at times like these as the grey haired Jōnin didn't doubt his old teacher could have offered up and done a much better job in sealing away the mark on Sasuke's neck.

"While Minato was definitely talented," A voice spoke up from the shadows behind Kakashi causing the man to lock up. "You've certainly grown over the last few years Kakashi. To think you'd now be able to perform Curse Sealing jutsu is impressive." Stepping out from behind one of the many pillars was Orochimaru dressed in black purple tinted long-sleeved shirt and pants and a dark grey flak jacket. The most notable thing about the former Konoha shinobi in Kakashi's eye was the Oto headband the man was now wearing.

"Orochimaru," Kakashi muttered taking a defensive position.

Orochimaru wasn't at all concerned with Kakashi's actions. He actually found it quite amusing that the younger man thought he could stop the snake summoner if he tried something. "Come now Kakashi there is no need for that. My business isn't with you but with that boy behind you." The black-haired Sannin said offering Kakashi chance to keep things civil.

"Are you crazy? Or do you honestly think I'll just step aside?!" Kakashi replied angrily. "What do you want with Sasuke?" He demanded.

The sinister smile that Orochimaru wore grew wider. "Now that I think about it you've acquired something new since the last time that I saw you." The pale skinned man stated ignoring Kakashi's question. "Oh, how I envy your good fortune Kakashi."

"Good fortune!" Kakashi snarled at him; nearly losing his composure and rushing the venomous snake of a man.

Unconcerned with Kakashi's mounting rage Orochimaru continued, "With the sharingan in your left eye if any one were to understand why I would want it too I'd think it'd be you. The power that belongs to the Uchiha." He reasoned.

"Enough, what game are you playing at?" Kakashi snapped.

"Game?" Orochimaru hummed thoughtfully, going so far to show how little he considered Kakashi a threat by closing his eyes. "Yes, I suppose that is rather apt way to put it. And like most games' pawns are necessary." The grey skinned man mused. "Tell me Kakashi do you know about Oto? The village that has everyone so curious?" He questioned, Kakashi's eye inadvertently darting to Orochimaru's forehead protector. "It's mine. I created it." The long-haired man revealed. "I trust you know what that means?"

Kakashi scowled beneath his mask, if there ever was rhetorical question. "You're going to use them as pawns." He stated with little doubt. There really was only one reason that Orochimaru would go out of his way to form his own hidden village. But a newly created minor village, even one founded by the traitorous snake Sannin, wouldn't pose a threat to one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, not on its own. Rather it was the potential threat that could result from a war between the villages. If Konoha wasn't careful things could quickly escalate in the worst way possible and before they knew it, they'd be on the cusp of a Fourth Great Shinobi War. Not unlike blood in shark infested waters the entire world could be thrown into a frenzy. "Then is Sasuke another of your pawns?"

"Of course not." Orochimaru refuted. "Well not a pawn anyway. He's a far more valuable piece than that." He corrected. "As for the others, well they are called pawns for a reason, some pieces must be sacrificed." The Snake Sannin claimed in a delighted – twisted – voice. "And then there is dear Naruto he managed to survive as well so I was hoping to check in on him too, a pity."

'Naruto!' Kakashi thought in surprise. "What about Naruto?!" Kakashi questioned. His mind racing as to what reason Orochimaru had to go after his blonde student; was he after the Bijuu that Naruto contained, a petty form of revenge against Minato-sensei for beating him out for the position of Hokage, or…

Even before he left the village Orochimaru was known for two things. His desire to learn every jutsu in the world. And obtaining immortality.

"Did you give Naruto one of those things?" Kakashi probed, "Are you after the Kyuubi that is sealed inside him?"

"The Kyuubi?" Orochimaru repeated slyly. "Interesting. Do you really not know Kakashi? Has Sarutobi-sensei not seen it fit to inform you what that boy is capable of? What he is?" He asked enigmatically. What Orochimaru didn't say was that something odd was going on with the curse seal that he had placed on Naruto because, although the blonde had survived, he couldn't feel a connection to it like he could with the other seals he's bestowed.

Kakashi didn't answer but Orochimaru, in his attempt to be all mysterious and cryptic, had all but confirmed for the sensei of Team 7 that the man was at least aware of the world of spirits and that Naruto was involved in it. Briefly Kakashi thought of the horrors that someone like Orochimaru could bring about if they entered the shaman tournament and managed to become the Shaman King.

As horrifying as that thought was Kakashi forced himself to focus on the here and now. A moment's distraction in front of Orochimaru could, and probably would, mean his death. And as Orochimaru drew closer, taking his time with every step he took like a snake just coiling to strike, Kakashi felt his survival instincts kick in. Screaming at him really. "Stop!" The grey haired Jōnin shouted, thrusting one hand open palmed down toward the ground while the other grabbed his arm. "Don't come any closer!" Kakashi warned.

A look of surprise briefly appeared across Orochimaru's face as he watched a Chidori come to life seal-lessly in the palm of Kakashi's hand. 'Oh my, you really have grown over the years Kakashi.' Orochimaru mused to himself. 'Though I suppose this is about what one can expect when using a jutsu that they've personally created.'

"I don't care if you are one of the Sannin." Kakashi started determination etched into every word he spoke. "If you take one more step toward Sasuke then I swear that one of us will die here!" He warned.

Brought up short by Kakashi's declaration Orochimaru just stared at the younger man for a second. After a bit Orochimaru started to chuckle which quickly turned full-out laughter unable to help himself. "Kukukuku, did you really just say that?" The black-haired man asked in disbelief.

Body tense ready to react at a moment's notice Kakashi just stared Orochimaru down silently.

"Poor dear Kakashi. So noble, so valiant, ready to throw your life away if need be and yet for all your efforts and sacrifices in the end it would all be meaningless." Orochimaru contemplated out loud.

"What?" Kakashi questioned confused.

"Do you honestly believe that seal will hold?" Orochimaru asked in turn. "As you know that seal depends upon the bearer's will. And what is it that young Sasuke truly desires? Power. Power to see ambitions realized and an avenger like him won't let anything stand in the way of his goals. He may resist, at first, but over time he will come to understand what that seals offers him. What I can offer him and when that day comes, he will seek me out." The pale skinned man declares as he turns to leave. "It's all quite inevitable really."

Kakashi didn't allow himself to relax until he could no longer see Orochimaru or sense his presence. Not that that was much of a guarantee that the Snake Sanin had left. 'What was I thinking, "One of us will die here,"' Kakashi thought in disbelief. 'I was practically begging him to kill me with that.' He finished, his form shaking after his confrontation with the older man, as turned to pick up Sasuke and take him to the medical wing.

Once he was sure that Sasuke was safe, he had to get back to the others and check in on Naruto.

---

Watching the second match Anna wasn't sure what to think. Well, that wasn't true it was just finding them to be rather lackluster. She had grown up on stories of shinobi battles being fast paced where the elements were manipulated to bend to the whims of individuals. Of course, her only real experience when it came to a battle between shinobi was Naruto and the others' fight against Zabuza and Haku, and even then, it was only the tail end of the fight with Haku. Most of her disappointment though came from the blowhard that was from a village Anna had never heard from. The other shinobi, Shino Aburame a former classmate of Naruto's from what he just told her when Shino was selected for this match, was pretty much leading the braggart around by the nose.

What was worse was that the idiot didn't even seem to realize it so overconfident that he was in his own abilities. There was one moment when the other boy, Zaku, first unleashed his attack where it seemed that he had a chance to win. But Shino proved to be far more cunning when Zaku's surprise attack had failed spectacularly to catch him by surprise. The Konoha shinobi giving the pretense that he had seen it coming all along. So, while it hadn't been an action-packed match like the last one it did go a long way to show how shrewd Shino was.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted his students and Anna, appearing behind them in a cloud of smoke. "Did I miss anything?"

"Kakashi-sensei is Sasuke-" Sakura started.

Kakashi cut the pinkette off gently, "Sasuke is fine Sakura." He said his tone reassuring. "What about the three of you? Are any of you nervous about your matches? Naruto?" Kakashi asked his eye trained on his blonde student looking for any sign that he was suffering from Orochimaru's seal like Sasuke had been. Silently Kakashi cursed himself; he had been so worried about Sasuke, focused on him, because of Anko's report on her former sensei's targeting of Sasuke that he failed to consider his other students' wellbeing. He should have made sure that they were all fine after an encounter with the Snake Sannin.

"You know." Anna answered in Naruto's stead.

"Know?"

"About that thing on Naruto's neck." Anna whispered.

Kakashi's shoulder sagged at Anna confirming that Naruto did indeed have one of Orochimaru's seals. "So do you apparently." Kakashi said tiredly in a soft whisper, not wanting this to be overheard by anyone. The Jōnin senseis were all people he trusted with his life, even if one exasperated him to no end at times, but their students shouldn't be made privy to things unless strictly necessary. "How?"

"Haku told me." Anna replied, immediately giving the black-haired boy up.

"I see," Kakashi dryly stated. Honestly Kakashi couldn't bring himself to hold it against Haku considering that Anna would undoubtedly become aware of the seal one way or another. "Any reason you didn't tell anyone before now?" He questioned.

"Apparently he and Sakura forgot." Anna responded this time throwing Sakura to the wolves as well, causing both the pinkette and Haku to wince at the accurate accusation.

"I see," Kakashi repeated himself with a deadpan. "Is there anything else that you two might have forgotten to report?" Kakashi asked the two.

Sakura shook her head and Haku started to as well only to freeze as he remembered something. Haku's pause certainly drew Kakashi and Anna's attention causing the Hyōton user to sweat, especially when Anna started to glare at him. "Um, well…" Haku began scratching his cheek.

Naruto stared at Haku in confusion before he crossed his arms and closed his eyes thoughtfully as he tried to remember what else Haku could be talking about. They knew about the mark on Sasuke, and him apparently, so unless something happened while he was unconscious the only thing that Naruto could think about was when… "Oh," Naruto uttered in realization, bopping his fist against the palm of his other hand. "He messed with my seal." He declared.

The blonde's statement caused Kakashi and Anna to still. To an almost worrying degree. Before, slowly, they turned their heads toward Naruto.

"Oh," Anna started. "What… do you mean… 'Oh'?" She demanded.

"Uh," Naruto stammered getting the suddenly realizing the danger that he was in. He looked to Haku and Sakura for help but the second he made eye contact with them they turned their head away.

"Seriously?" Kakashi mumbled face palming. "This is the sort of thing that should be reported immediately." He told them. "It seems like we'll have to have a long conversation later about properly reporting sensitive information like this." Kakashi sort of expected it from Naruto but for Haku, Sakura, and possibly Sasuke to fail in this was just too much for the grey haired Jōnin.

Sakura wasn't entirely sure what was going on but she chose not to say anything rather than risk drawing anyone's wrath.

"Why didn't you say anything before?!" Anna insisted reaching up toward Naruto's cheeks and starting to pull on them angrily.

"Ow, Awnna… thaw hurs." Naruto slurred out, tears in the corner of his eyes.

Now Anna was hardly being subtle with her actions, and if things had been different, she might have even felt a little embarrassed at being seen acting in such a way by so many people, but at the moment all that she could think about was what ever had been done to Naruto's seal. Down below the ninja that had appeared with the Hokage looked up at the blonde couple in disbelief, more than one wanting to chastise them for acting so undignified in front of foreign shinobi and the Hokage. The only reason that they didn't was because it was Kakashi's responsibility and one look at their Kage made them refrain from acting unless instructed otherwise.

Sarutobi obviously saw what was going on and was rather curious about what had the usually unflappable Anna so agitated. But… well, 'I'm sorry my boy.' Sarutobi thought tilting his hat down to hide the spectacle from his sight. 'But I'm already on thin ice with the girl. You'll just have to deal with this on your own.'

Friends, teammates, and his own grandfather had pretty much all turned their backs on Naruto leaving him to his fate.

Kakashi did intervene when Anna let go of one of Naruto's cheeks to grab at the hem of his jacket. "Now while I want to check on the seal too." Kakashi began, figuring that was Anna's intention. "This is not the place." He cautioned.

Anna scowled at Kakashi but relented becoming aware of all the eyes on them. Sakura was right there, probably endlessly confused, and no doubt interested in what they had been talking about. "Right," She muttered in agreement. "Is there anything else we should know?" Anna asked directing the question at the three members of Team 7 but focused mostly on Naruto.

Naruto again crossed his arms in thought for a second. "My chakra feels a little weird." He eventually answered.

Anna raised an eyebrow in question. "Weird how?" She inquired.

"Like… it's harder to use, kind of slow." The blonde shaman said doing his best put the feeling into words. "Ah, like there is a clog in the drain and water is struggling to get through." Naruto supplied. (2)

Anna, Haku, and Sakura stared at Naruto with a deadpan at his description.

Kakashi let out a sigh. "It's probably a result of whatever Orochimaru did to your seal." He decided.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei I'm sorry if this isn't any of my business, but what are you all talking about?" Sakura finally questioned feeling like they were leaving something very important to conversation out. What seal were they talking about and how did Anna know about it before her?

With another sigh Kakashi did his best to wave Sakura off gently. "Don't worry about it, Sakura." He instructed her. He knew it was a bad idea to talk about the seal that housed the Kyuubi within Naruto right in front of the pinkette but it wasn't something that they could help given the current situation of where they were.

Sakura was hardly reassured, "Right." But nodded her head anyway.

"What can we do about it." Anna cut in a little impatient.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "I know a thing or two about the sealing arts." He revealed, "But I don't feel confident messing with that."

"So?" Anna pressed.

"We'd have to let the Hokage take a look at it." Kakashi stated with a decisive nod. "He can probably undo whatever Orochimaru did. And if he can't he can get in contact with someone who will."

Naruto and Anna nodded their heads in acceptance.

"Unfortunately," Kakashi continued. "It will have to wait until after the preliminaries. If he were to fix the problem now the Hokage could be accused of favoritism not only by the shinobi of the other villages but by our own forces as well. Especially if Naruto were to win his match. If enough of an uproar was to happen it could see Naruto forcibly withdrawn from the Chunnin Exams." He explained it for them. "Another reason that this should have been reported sooner." Kakashi finished scoldingly, the three Gennin looking properly reprimanded, though again Sakura wasn't sure why exactly.

Their conversation was ended when the board started to cycle through names for the next match.

Kankuro of the Desert vs. Misumi Tsurugi

"This guy," Naruto grumbled as he watched the guy in cat pajamas and heavy makeup on his face walk down into the arena. He had of course hadn't forgotten how Kankuro had threated Konohamaru before.

While the fight couldn't be called one-sided like the previous two that was mostly because it took little more than a couple of minutes before a winner was decided. Misumi, Kabuto's last remaining teammate, even boasted that he wouldn't act carelessly and lose to a kid just before the match started. Anna wasn't as familiar with the world of shinobi as everybody else in the room but from the way that Sakura explained puppetry jutsu, after Kankuro revealed himself to have been the thing wrapped in bandages and the one that Misumi had literally wrapped himself around was a wooden doll that was being controlled, it made it seem to Anna that it was something that shinobi from Suna were known for.

It really revealed how careless Misumi was when he didn't consider his opponent might use a technique his village was famous for especially when carrying such a large bundle.

Either way Kankuro quickly proved to be the better of the two.

"We'll proceed straight to the next match." Hayate announced to everyone as the board instantly started to go through the names of the remaining participants before settling on two.

Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka

Sakura stared wide eyed at the screen as out of everyone that she could have ended up fighting in the preliminaries Ino was the last she expected. Turning to the blonde Sakura saw the same surprise reflected on Ino's face as she turned her attention to Sakura. The two stared at one silently for a second communicating with one another without a single word being spoken before they both grew equally determined and proceeded to walk down to arena floor.

…

Anna ever the observant one easily noticed the exchange between the two girls and figured that they had to have some sort of history between them. And from the grumbling that Anna could just barely make out from the pineapple haired boy that was Ino Yamanaka's teammate she wasn't wrong.

As soon as the match started the two kunoichi threw themselves at each other. A punch was thrown and subsequently blocked before a two-punch combo was used to counter and those in turn were deflected and a mid-kick was sent back in turn. Watching them fight Anna thought that it was completely and utterly… underwhelming. Sure, the two girls put on quite the show but that's all it really was, a show. It almost felt choreographed from how little their hearts were in the fight. The shaman that Naruto had fought before, Len, without a doubt could take both at once and come out on top.

She wasn't the only one that thought that the fight between Ino and Sakura was turning to be rather unexciting. One of the Gennin from the fabled Hyuuga clan made a rather sexist remark about the kunoichi's match and while his teammate, a girl with brown hair done into buns that kind of made her look like a panda, chastised him for his remark she didn't disagree that Sakura and Ino were doing a rather poorly.

Although it was a little hard to hear them given…

"Come on Sakura you've got this! Don't lose to Ino!"

… that Naruto was currently cheering for his female teammate quite loudly.

"Man talk about being oblivious and do you have to be so loud?" The pineapple haired boy complained.

Naruto turned to the other teen. "Huh?! You've got something to say to me Shikamaru?!" The blonde shinobi demanded.

Oh, apparently pineapple head's name was Shikamaru.

"Yeah, pay attention," Shikamaru grunted. "If you did maybe you'd realize that neither of them is taking this fight seriously."

Naruto scowled in response. "I am." He replied looking back down at the ongoing fight, leaning forward a bit. "I know that they're holding back that's why I know that Sakura can win, she just has to give it her all." Naruto claimed confidently.

His former classmates, those that were listening in, were a little stunned that Naruto was perceptive enough to have noticed something like that. Or they figure that his faith in Sakura is due to the apparent crush they assume Naruto had on the pinkette.

Anna's eyebrow twitched. She wasn't sure why but she felt really irritated for some reason. (3)

"Very well said Naruto." Rock Lee said walking to stand close to their group. "I am with you. Sakura need only to ignite the flames of youth and she is sure to come out of this victorious! Let us cheer her on so that her flames will burn brightly!" Lee proposed passionately fire almost burning in his eyes. (4)

"Right," Naruto agreed readily, though some of the things that Lee said didn't make sense to the shaman.

Anna stared at the pair blankly as Naruto followed the bushy browed boy's lead. 'I have to put a stop to this.' Anna thought to herself. She had no idea who this boy was but what Anna did know was that she didn't want Naruto taking after this boy. At least not appearance-wise. 'Now that I think about it.' She pondered peeking at Naruto's current clothing. Anna had already made it clear that she didn't like the clothes that Naruto wore so maybe a change was in order.

Naruto blinked as he suddenly remembered that he needed to make introductions. "Oh right, Anna this is Bushy-Brows." Naruto introduced.

"Rock Lee," Haku correctly supplied.

"It is very nice to meet you!" Lee greeted the blonde girl enthusiastically. "I am Rock Lee, Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast!" Lee gave his own, unnecessary, introduction. "I hope that the flames of the springtime of youth burn brightly within you!"

Anna raised an eyebrow as she opened her mouth to respond…

…

Tenten watched the match happening between the two girls dispassionately, well not that wasn't entirely true there was frustration clear in her eyes. As a kunoichi watching Sakura and Ino's fight was turning out to be highly discouraging, she didn't even want to imagine what the two foreign kunoichi were thinking of Konoha kunoichi because of them. They were going to end up being a moc-

"Lee?" Tenten's thoughts on the two girls' fight came to a sudden end when she spotted her teammate making his way back to them. Normally that wouldn't have been enough to distract the bun haired girl but he seemed to be acting weird. Well… weird for Lee anyway. His arms were hanging limply at his side, leaning forward, and with his head hanging down. He was also muttering something under his breath that she couldn't quite make out. "Is…" She began, pausing to glance at Gai-sensei and Neji to see that staring at Lee as well. "Is everything alright?" If she didn't know any better Tenten would say that the bowl cut boy looked depressed, but Lee was never depressed. Like ever.

"…" Lee mumbled slightly louder but still completely inaudible.

"Huh?" Tenten questioned.

With what looked like extreme effort Lee lifted his head to reveal his dulled-out eyes. "The spring time of youth has come to an end." He declared, causing his team to freeze up and stare at the green clad Gennin in shocked-awe/fear. "Now begins the winter of our discontent."

While his words didn't make much sense, they were enough to at least snap Gai out of his stupor. "Lee!" The man shouted taking his student by the shoulders. "What's wrong, Lee?!" He worriedly, and loudly, questioned as he shook Lee back and forth causing Lee's head to bobble wildly.

"What happened to summer and fall?" Neji questioned.

"Neji!" Tenten chided him curtly.

"What? It's an honest question." The Hyuuga boy replied.

…

Haku and Naruto stood beside Anna once more. Just the tiniest bit more distance between them and her. "Don't," Haku began tensely. "Don't you think you were a little harsh on him?" He asked his landlady/boss.

"Sorry, not sorry." Anna answered unapologetic. "Is there some sort of history between those two?" The Itako asked gesturing down to where Sakura and Ino were still going through their little choreography. Anna already figured that they were former classmates but felt like there was more.

Naruto nodded his head his attention back on the match. "Sakura and Ino have been best friends since, well forever." Naruto informed her and Haku. "They only stopped being friends because they started to fight over Sasuke." The whiskered blonde continued with a roll of his eyes. "Never got why." Naruto admitted.

'I imagine you wouldn't.' Haku thought amusedly. Most guys when they made a remark like Naruto did it was because they failed to see what girls saw in the guy they were interested in and were usually jealous of the attention that guy was receiving. Naruto honestly didn't understand why two people would fight over someone, especially best friends. And why would he? Before any other romantic interests could even arise, Naruto and Anna were already devoted entirely to one another and only ever had eyes for each other. That level of commitment meant that they never considered anyone else. Honestly if Haku didn't know better he'd think it was some sort of fairytale romance right out of the storybooks about true love.

Not that Haku actually knew better. Friendship as a child was a rarity for Haku when he lived in Kiri. After meeting Zabuza it became even more so, to say nothing about romance. Haku's closest companions were the Demon Brothers and they were more Zabuza's wannabe cronies/fanboys rather than actual comrades.

Naruto was without a doubt his closest and best friend, which also meant that Anna was the closest female friend that he had. Which was such a weird realization for Haku to come to.

'I'm digressing,' Haku thought with a minute shake of her head to get his mind back on the matter on hand.

Anna nodded her head thoughtfully. "Well, that might explain… this." She said voicing her thoughts. "Whether they realize it or not they probably don't want to hurt their friend so they're holding back." Anna gave her opinion.

"You think so?" Questioned Naruto with a tilt of his head as his face scrunched up in confusion. "But don't they want to be promoted?" He asked. Whoever lost here would also lose their chance at becoming a Chunin after all.

Anna hummed in thought. "I guess it will come down to how strong their resolve is." The blonde Itako stated.

…

For as long as they were rivals no matter what they said to one another Sakura not once denied Ino's strength. And in the privacy of her own mind recognized that the blonde kunoichi was stronger than her, even just a bit. It was part of the reason that Sakura acknowledged that Ino was her rival after all. Since they were young children, Sakura always thought that Ino was such an amazing person and kunoichi. But beyond that admiration was a desire to not be stuck in Ino's shadow for the rest of her life. To prove she was every bit the kunoichi that Ino was.

And to win Sasuke's heart. True love conquers all, cha!

That was why she was left in a stupor when Ino smacked her when she had a clear opening to land a much more powerful hit. What was this? Pity? Was Ino looking down on her? Did she still think that she was that weak? With every question Sakura found her anger rising until she snapped. But not in the explosion of anger that she was known for. Rather it was a cold fury as her look of surprise turned impassive.

"What was that?" Sakura asked, her voice soft yet solemn.

"Sakura I'm-" Ino started only to cut herself off. What was she going to do apologize for hitting her in the middle of a match?

Sakura glared at the blonde kunoichi. "Do you still think that I'm that little girl that needed you to look out for her?" She questioned the Yamanaka.

Ino didn't answer refusing to admit that the child visage of Sakura did flash across Ino's mind before she ended up slapping the pinkette.

While Ino might not have said it but Sakura knew that she was right. "I'm not that girl anymore." She growled at her old friend. "I'm not weak and I am not helpless. I'm stronger than you." Sakura declared.

"What?" Ino said insulted, her own anger beginning to rise. However stronger Sakura had gotten since they all graduated from the academy Ino refused to believe that the green eyed kunoichi was now stronger than her.

"I'm stronger than you." Sakura reiterated, causing Ino to scowl. "And I'll prove it to you right now Ino." With those final words Sakura untied her hitai-ate from where she was using as a hairband and tied it securely around her forehead.

A look of surprise briefly crossed Ino's face before she remembered an old promise that the two girls made and she found her resolve. Mimicking Sakura's actions Ino took her headband from around her waist and tied it to her forehead.

From here on out neither of them was going to hold back.

…

To those watching things weren't all that different. Sure, both girls were now fighting with a ferocity that they had previously lacked, but an absence of real ability was still apparent. Kakashi and Asuma shifted a little uncomfortably when their fellow Jounin senseis started to give them looks in question to the girls' skill level.

They were totally being judged.

Of course, what none of the others realized but Kakashi did being Sakura's teacher was the perfect control that Sakura had with her chakra. The precise bursts she released as she ran and threw every punch. 'It's crude,' Kakashi thought observing his student carefully. 'And still in its infancy but with time and the right teacher Sakura could in all likely hood replicate Lady Tsunade's absurd level of strength.' When Team 7 had first formed Kakashi thought that Sakura had all the makings of a master of genjutsu, but here was another avenue that the pink haired girl could explore.

Skill level aside it was clear that both girls were now being serious and hopefully that meant that they would be taking their training from now on seriously as well.

Their fight seemed to come to a head when Ino cut off her own hair in a fit of anger and proceeded to use her family's jutsu on Sakura, the Mind Transfer Jutsu. Sakura having once been close to Ino of course knew about the Yamanaka signature jutsu so when Ino performed it Sakura knew that had a small window to use the weakness of Ino's jutsu to her advantage. Because as soon as Ino used her jutsu Sakura dashed to the side and when Ino slumped forward Sakura was confident in her victory. The Mind Transfer jutsu was powerful in the sense it could take over a target's body, the perfect jutsu for espionage and recognizance the bread and butter of shinobi, but fit had its drawbacks. The first that any damage that the person suffered while in possession of another's body was reflected on their own and the second was that while the mind was flying through the air it was actually moving rather slowly. Which someone who was aware of this fact could use to their advantage as consciousness was slow to return to the castor's body after a failed possession.

"You were overconfident Ino." Sakura remarked chidingly, as she took a step toward the defeated blonde, only to stop after a couple of steps as she felt herself seize.

"Who was overconfident, Billboard-brow?" Ino asked lifting her head to reveal her smirking face. "I used my hair and ran chakra through it to create a rope and trap you with it." The blonde kunoichi revealed.

Looking down Sakura saw that her feet were indeed entrapped by Ino's hair. She had literally walked right into Ino's trap!

…

"I see," Anna murmured from above softly. "That was clever." She voiced. Ino pretended to lose control, acted like she was letting her anger control her, but all the while she was laying down the foundation for her con. And all the while Sakura thought that she was the one with the upper hand believing wholeheartedly that her words were getting to Ino exactly like she wanted them to.

Ino managed to turn the tables on Sakura not through some flashy jutsu but deception like a proper kunoichi. At least that was Anna's opinion. Now all that was left was to see if Ino managed to follow through and come out victorious. If she did then despite Ino's poor showing Anna would consider herself mildly impressed.

…

Though she couldn't hear Anna's approval of Ino's strategy, and trapped like she was, Sakura couldn't deny that she had been careless. And now she was paying for it because as much as she struggled, she couldn't free herself from Ino's trap. Seriously how could chakra laced hair be this strong?

Worse yet if she couldn't move then it was only a matter of time before…

"I've got you now Sakura." Ino claimed holding her hands in front of her in the sign for her family's jutsu. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

This time when Ino slumped forward Sakura did as well and everyone watched on with baited breath.

When Sakura lifted her head, she had smirk spread across her face. "It's over. Possession successful." She said decisively, paraphrasing one of Shikamaru's favorite sayings.

…

"That's too bad." Kakashi said from where he stood a little behind his students and Anna drawing their attention. "Looks like Sakura lost this one. The mind transfer jutsu seems to have been successful."

"Mind Transfer jutsu?" Haku questioned.

Kakashi nodded his head in affirmation. "A jutsu belonging to the Yamanaka clan. It's a jutsu that allows the spirit of the Yamanaka to take possession of another's body." He explained.

"Possession/Spirit?" Anna and Naruto asked simultaneously.

Kakashi once more nodded his head. "Well, that's how we've come to understand it." He amended. Now that he knew that possession and spirits were a real thing Kakashi couldn't be as sure as to the way that the Yamanaka's technique worked. He was also curious about whether such a jutsu would work on someone spiritually aware.

Naruto looked down back at Sakura and saw how she was lifting her hand, as he bit back a growl. "Come on Sakura!" He shouted to his teammate. "Don't give up! You can't lose to Ino!" He encouraged the pinkette loudly. It was a long shot but if Ino's jutsu was anything like real possession then there was always a chance that his words would reach Sakura. Even if it was infinitesimally small. I mean how often did screaming at someone to take back control of whatever was haunting them actually worked?

…

"Naruto really needs to know when to give it up." Ino scuffed at Naruto's support for her longtime rival.

'Na…Ru…To!'

'Wh-what was that?' Ino thought to herself from within the confines of Sakura's body. For a second, she could have sworn that she heard Sakura's voice. But that should have been impossible! When she took control of the green-eyed girl's body her conscious should have been buried deep within her subconscious and unable to hear anything that was going on.

"Come on Sakura!" Naruto called out to his teammate. "Even Anna recognized that you've gotten stronger, so you can't lose now! What do you think she'll say if you do?!"

"I said that she had grown not that she had gotten stronger." Anna mumbled.

"Now, now." Haku placated the blonde girl, getting a sigh out of Anna.

"He really needs to learn when to give it up." Ino muttered before she started to announce Sakura's surrender.

'He is so annoying!' Sakura's voice came out as growl right behind Ino causing the blonde kunoichi to shiver. 'But he is right. I can't lose. I won't.' She said as Ino turned to face Sakura, or at least someone – or thing – that looked like Sakura. 'I won't have her looking down on me more than she already does.' She hissed as she grabbed Ino by her shoulders. 'So… get… OUT!' Sakura growled her form growing as she squeezed Ino.

…

To those unaware to what was happening within Sakura's mind they had watched as Sakura was about to surrender when she suddenly clutched her head and started screaming in pain. Anna found herself rather curious about this sudden turn of events and she'd admit that she was a little tempted to peek into the pink haired girl's mind to see what was going on but refrained. If there was already a struggle going on in there Anna didn't think that it was a good idea to add herself to the mix.

She should speak with someone from the Yamanaka clan at some point though. The few times that she used her mind reading abilities no one knew she was doing it until after she said something. But she had never tried it on someone with the mental jutsu of the Yamanaka clan. She was wanted to see if that would make a difference. If nothing else they might be able to help her develop her mind reading abilities further if it was at all possible.

…

It took a minute but eventually Sakura managed to force Ino out of her body. But whatever the pinkette had done seemed to have left both girls exhausted as they were both panting trying to catch their breath.

"How did you? Just what the heck are you?" Ino questioned getting a smirk back from Sakura.

Tired as they were both girls got back on to their feet before dashing one another a clenched fist trailing in the wind behind them. Then they came to abrupt stop only a step from one another and swung with every ounce of strength they had so when their fists connected with the other's head they were sent soaring away from one another.

After a few moments of neither girl moving from where they lay Hayate let out a sigh. "This match is over. Because of a double knockout neither contestant can continue so there is no winner for the fourth battle of the preliminary exam." The proctor announced as Kakashi and Asuma retrieved their two students before rejoining the rest of their team up on the balcony.

As the members of Teams 7 and 10 crowded around the passed out kunoichi worried about their condition, to which Kakashi and Asuma assured that they would be fine even without medical attention, Kakashi couldn't help but look at his lone female student with a sense of pride. While Sakura hadn't performed at the level befitting a Chunin, to which he acknowledged he was partially to blame, but rather than coming to these exams and wowing everyone with her jutsu Sakura had used these exams to grow. And as far as Kakashi was concerned that was well worth having Sakura participate in these exams.

What came out of this growth was up to Sakura.

Kakashi hoped that his student would take this new found conviction and use it to become much stronger than she currently was.

Anna stared at the pink haired girl with an impassiveness that made trying to figure out what she was thinking impossible for anyone that looked at her. She had been sincere when she said that Sakura had grown, she hardly needed her reishi ability to see that. Anna turned her back on the sleeping pinkette, but that hardly made up for what she had just seen. Having known Sakura for a few months now Anna had made it clear that she didn't particularly like the girl. Now her dislike of Sakura wasn't anything personal, not really anyway. It's just if there was one thing that Anna couldn't stand it was someone who didn't try to better themselves. The few times that Anna had watched Team 7 train under Kakashi the Itako had seen that while Sakura participated, she never pushed herself beyond what was necessary.

In a word Sakura was allowing herself to stagnate.

Well at least she wasn't alone in that if that girl from the Yamanaka clan was anything to go by.

Anna really hoped that Ino wasn't the clan's heiress. That would be sad.

Haku Yuki vs. Tenten

"Alright Team 7 twice in a row!" Naruto cheered, though internally the blonde shaman was sulking at the fact that it was still not his turn. "You've got this Haku!"

"Right," Haku replied with a confident nod of his head.

If someone said that the two combatants walk down the stairs with little fanfare it would be a lie. Lee and Gai went out of their way to root for their female teammate and student. Naruto seeing how loud the two green clad shinobi were cheering Tenten felt his competitive side flaring up so of course he started to cheer for Haku just as loudly.

Anna felt her eyebrow twitch as she was currently stuck between three very loud people. "Naruto." The Itako said warningly.

Naruto shut up instantly at the sound of Anna's voice. "Sorry," He muttered an apology. Anna didn't say anything in response instead looking to her other side.

"YEAH TE-!" Lee's voice died out as his face turned blue. Without evening having to turn to look Lee knew that there was a set of eyes on him and they caused him to shake uncontrollably as he broke out in a cold sweat.

Gai turned to his protégé in confusion when he suddenly became quiet. That confusion turned to concern when he noticed what state Lee was in. "Lee? Speak to me, Lee! No not again! LEE!" Konoha's premiere Taijutsu master cried out.

Anna turned away from the pair. Well quieting two out of three wasn't so bad.

…

Haku and Tenten had of course heard Gai's shouts of concern and had looked up to see what had the man so distressed. While Tenten was confused what had set Lee off again Haku could confidently guess. "I think she traumatized him." The black-haired boy murmured to himself.

"You say something?" Tenten asked glancing back at Haku having missed what he said focused as she was on Gai and Lee.

"No nothing." Haku denied with a shake of his head.

Cough Cough "If you're ready let's get the next match started." Hayate called getting the two participants attention. He'd admit to also being distracted by Gai and his shenanigans but he'd rather move things along either way. "Let the fifth match now begin!"

As soon as the fight began Tenten jumped back putting more distance between herself and Haku launching a couple of kunai at him. They Hyōton user reacted immediately drawing one of his senbon to defect the kunai that Tenten had thrown and the onslaught that followed. After a few seconds Haku was forced to pull out a second senbon as Tenten's attack came faster and faster from a seemingly endless reserve of kunai. 'And yet…' Haku thought to himself. The way that the bun haired girl was throwing the kunai were fluid and flawless her actions clearly honed from hours of practice. But… 'This is hardly enough.' The Hyōton wielder finished. Lifting his foot Haku slammed it back onto the ground unleashing a wave of ice that surged toward Tenten across the floor. Truthfully the ice was little more than a small layer of frost, the best that Haku could do without any water readily available or hand signs, but it wasn't meant to be anything more than a diversion.

A feint that Tenten fell for as her eyes widened and she jumped away from the quickly approaching ice stopping her attack. Tenten's eyes glanced briefly down at the frost, for not even a second, when she suddenly felt someone looming right in front of her. It was only the year that she had spent on a team with Lee and Gai-sensei that had the young woman dodging under a punch. 'Fast.' Tenten thought to herself with just a bit of panic. She recovered soon enough twisting her body so that Haku's senbon only managed to graze her arm.

Haku brought up his hand and perform hand-signs with it before stomping his foot on the ground once more. "Thousand Needles of Death!" The frost at Haku's feet shattered before reforming into needles in the air around Haku. With nothing but a thought Haku launched all the needles at Tenten. He had used this jutsu at the beginning of his battle with Sasuke, but unlike then when the needles had surrounded the pair this time, they went flew straight at Tenten.

…

"Whoa what was that?!" Naruto asked excitedly seeing how Haku performed his jutsu with one hand.

"Hm?" Kakashi hummed glancing at his blonde student. "Oh, I guess this would be the first time that you've seen Haku perform one-handed hand seals." The grey haired Jōnin mused.

"Is it something common?" Anna questioned this being the first time she's even heard of someone doing hand seals with one hand.

"Well," Kakashi started scratching the back of his head. "It is rare, but not unheard of." The masked Jōnin answered. "I figure that Haku is able to do it because he's practiced for countless hours and his bloodline makes it easier with that particular jutsu." The man theorized.

"But theoretically anyone could do it." Anna pressed.

"Theoretically." Kakashi agreed with a nod of his head. "A well-trained Jōnin though can even go a step farther than that." He went on to add. "Most of us can even perform seal-less jutsu, now that being said the longer a seal chain the more difficult it would be to master it to that degree. Most Jōnin chose to learn to perform the Replacement jutsu seal-less since it's extremely convenient." Kakashi told them. 'Of course, because of the restrictions of longer seal chains and the time that it takes to master even jutsu with two hand seals the Replacement jutsu also the easiest and worth the effort.'

"And how do you learn to use jutsu without hand signs?" Anna asked the question that was on both Naruto and Sakura's mind.

"Dedication and countless hours of practice." Kakashi answered readily. "To over simplify it think of chakra as a muscle and hand signs helps develop muscle memory. But like I said that's the overly simplified version and the actual process is much more difficult." He told them.

Anna nodded her head thoughtfully her mind already racing with the possibilities that this new information provided.

…

The brunette let out a curse as she sprinted to the side to avoid the barrage of needles, grabbing another kunai to deflect others, even still she felt as some of the senbon cut or pierced her body. Luckily nowhere dangerous. Taking a second to catch her breath Tenten proceeded to jump into the air as she pulled out a scroll and unfurled it. Haku narrowed his eyes, silently wishing he was more proficient in the Nidaime Hokage's ability to draw moisture from the air as he had to compensate with using more of his chakra, as he went through hand signs to perform his next jutsu. Swiping her hand across the seals written within the scroll Tenten unleashed a small number of weapons that she grabbed and threw at Haku almost as soon as she summoned them. But despite the quantity of sharp objects now heading in his direction the Hyōton user wasn't at all worried.

"Hyōton: Crystal Ice Mirrors!" An ice mirror snapped into existence in front of Haku, the creation of only one expediting the process. The mirror acted as a shield blocking Tenten's attack so that everything that she had thrown fell harmlessly before Haku. The Hyōton user spared the weapons a quick glance before performing his next jutsu. "Water style: Hidden Mist Jutsu." A thick mist quickly filled the room obscuring visibility for everyone.

"What now?" Tenten muttered under her breath. She better than anyone knew just how horrible this jutsu was for her.

"You know," Haku's voice came from within the mist. "Before during Sakura's fight with Ino you said something to your teammate. He questioned their skill because they were girls."

"Yeah, and?" Tenten shot back defensively, straining to see Haku through the mist.

"After that backhanded insult I was expecting more from you." Haku claimed appearing through the mist. "I'm left wanting."

Tenten scowled. "Say that after this!" She snapped, kneeling as she brought out two scrolls before slamming them onto the ground beside her upright. "I don't know what makes you so arrogant that you'd show yourself like this after going out of your way to hide, but I'll make sure that you'll regret it!" The brunette declared going through a string of hand seals for her own jutsu. "Rising Twin Dragons!" Smoke enshrouded the two scrolls before shooting up into the air twisted around each other in the shape of dragons. As the smoke started to dissipate revealing the two unfurled scrolls Tenten jumped after them with weapons being summoned from the scrolls once she reached the apex. One after the other Tenten grabbed a weapon and threw them all down at Haku. Only to watch in confusion as each one bounced off Haku harmlessly. No matter where she aimed or how hard she threw nothing pierced the dark-haired boy and just fell harmlessly around him. Eventually Tenten did run out of weapons to throw from what had appeared to be an endless supply as she landed back on the ground. 'Why?' Tenten thought confused before her look turned to one of determination. "I'm not done yet!" She shouted defiantly. With a twitch of her fingers steel wires caught the light revealing that each one was connected to the weapons that the brown eyed girl had previously thrown. Flexing her fingers and moving her arms Tenten made all the weapons to rise in the air before launching them once more at Haku. Only to receive the same results as the weapons bounced harmlessly off again. "What's going on?!" Tenten demanded. Her aim wasn't off she was sure of that, but something was getting in the way.

"Was that your trump card? A voice asked softly though Tenten heard it clearly, as she locked upped, as it came from right behind her. "You overspecialized. You doubtlessly spent how many countless hours practicing. Truly, commendable. But do you have anything to fall back on the off chance of coming across opponent that could counter you?" The silence that followed Haku's question was telling. "Ninjutsu, my kekkei genkai, kenjutsu, and the silent killing technique my master taught me. I have all these things fall back on."

"What are you getting at?" Tenten questioned. "How are you even…?" Risking looking over her shoulder Tenen saw Haku emerging from an ice mirror that was right behind her. Eyes widening in surprise Tenten faced forward to see the mist thinning enough to reveal that the "Haku" she had been attacking was only a reflection within the first ice mirror that Haku had summoned.

"That you should consider your own failings before looking down on others." Haku stated before stabbing a senbon into Tenten rendering her unconscious. He might be acting a little callous towards Tenten but after what Sakura had been through against the Oto team in the Forest of Death Haku wouldn't let someone so blatantly look down on her. Haku knew that Sakura had a lot of hard work ahead of her if she wanted to become a strong kunoichi but that was only a matter effort and resolve. (5)

From there, with the mist disappearing, it took only a moment for Hayate to declare the match in Haku's favor before the Hyōton user proceeded to treat Tenten.

"She should wake in a few minutes." Haku told Gai, handing the girl off to her sensei after carrying her up the stairs to reach the balconies.

"Thank you." Gai replied taking his charge. He spared the young girl a sad smile Gai knew how hard his female student trained to get to this point and how disheartened she'd be once she awoke only to find out that it wasn't enough. Hopefully she'd take this as incentive to better herself.

When Haku rejoined his team, he found Naruto nearly vibrating in place only for the blonde shinobi to suddenly jump him throwing an arm around Haku's neck, causing the ravenette to hunch forward slightly because of the height difference, in celebration. "Alright, way to go Haku!" Naruto cheered. "You were awesome!"

"Good job." Anna added in.

"Thanks, you two." Haku replied with a gentle smile. As much as Haku might love Zabuza that man wasn't the type to offer up compliments for a job well done, so Haku thought it was rather nice to receive praise like this from his two friends.

…

The sixth match of the preliminary exam pitted Kin Tsuchi against pineapple head, or rather Shikamaru Nara whenever Anna could be bothered to remember the boy's name. At the beginning of the match Kin was doing quite well, definitely better than her teammate Zaku did, but once she was sure of her victory she became arrogant. She went out of her way to explain her jutsu to Shikamaru. Apparently, her strategy was rather old school throw two senbon with bells tied to them then another pair senbon only one with a bell and one without in the hopes that her opponent won't notice the one without.

It was only after Shikamaru collapsed that Kin revealed that she had threads tied to the bells that she used to produce a sound to disorient the boy. It was at that point that Kin's arrogance came back to bite her. So sure, of her victory she missed the thin shadow that stretched between Shikamaru and her foolishly mistaking it as the shadow of the thread that she was holding. From there Shikamaru easily knocked Kin out by having her slam her head against the wall behind her.

There was one thing that confused Anna though.

"What was the point of throwing that shuriken?" Anna questioned bluntly as Shikamaru was passing Team 7 to reach his own team.

Shikamaru came to a sudden stop, blinking in momentary surprise having not expected to be addressed by the blonde girl he did not know, before letting out a sigh and scratching the back of his head. For a moment the Nara heir broke eye contact but when he looked back it was to find Anna still staring at him expectingly – demandingly – her gaze unwavering and her face blank. Shikamaru wasn't sure how but even though she did seem to be trying the girl had a despotic aura about her.

His mother might actually be impressed by her.

"Well?" Anna pressed, her tone hinting at her growing impatience.

Out of the corner of his eyes Shikamaru saw Lee shiver for no apparent reason. 'Troublesome,' Anna's brow twitched she might not be reading pineapple head's mind but she was sure she had a reason to be annoyed with him now. "You saw how that girl was struggling against my control right?" Shikamaru asked back.

After thinking about it for a second Anna nodded her head. Kin's movements did look rather choppy.

Seeing the nod the member of Team 10 started his explanation. "Even after someone's been caught in my jutsu it's not like they can't try and resist and its obviously easier to make them move like I want if I give them a reason to."

"Hence the shuriken." Anna reasoned.

"Right," Shikamaru confirmed. "I needed to make sure that she hit her head against the wall hard enough to knock herself out so I made sure that she didn't have a reason to resist." The lazy Genin finished his explanation. Really, he wanted to get this conversation done with as soon as possible because every instinct was telling him that he didn't want to get involved with the blonde girl more than necessary.

'I guess that makes sense.' Naruto thought to himself having listened in to Shikamaru's rationalization. 'Shikamaru's way too lazy to do anything if he doesn't have to.'

…

Seventh match: Kiba Inuzuka vs. Naruto Uzumaki

"Finally!" Naruto shouted in excitement. "It's my turn!"

Kiba was just as thrilled as the results as Naruto. "Hey look at that Akamaru we lucked out!" Kiba claimed confidently. "We're going up against the dobe! We basically won the match already!"

"Bark!" Akamaru agreed wholeheartedly, or at least that's what people figured.

"Don't let him psych you out Naruto you've got this!" Sakura encouraged her teammate, fist clenched before her, as the two Konoha Gennin made their way to the arena floor. "Kick his ass!"

"Man, so unfair." Choji grumbled after Naruto and Kiba left.

"Kiba vs Naruto?" Shikamaru questioned with a shake of his head. "They might as well call the match now and save Naruto the embarrassment."

"I know right." Ino said in agreement. "Naruto doesn't stand a chance. Kiba's practically getting a free pass for this round."

Anna's brow twitched as the members of Team 10 were not being discreet about their opinions on the result of the seventh match. Haku wore a smile and if could have even been called pleasant if it wasn't for the fact that his smile was so plastic. "They sure are quick to write off Naruto, aren't they?" Haku asked rhetorically.

Sakura grimaced knowing that if she hadn't been placed on Team 7, she'd be just as dismissive of Naruto as the others. "They're judging Naruto based on what they remember from the academy." She explained. She wasn't trying to justify the way that they were acting just give a little background to the pair.

…

The two boys stood across from one another Naruto glaring at Kiba that the Inuzuka returned with equal fervor, and a confident grin, as he set Akamaru down beside him. "You know you haven't changed at all since the academy have you Naruto? Still a little idiot." Kiba taunted his former classmate. "If you had any real sense you'd surrender right now and save everyone some time and trouble."

"I'm the idiot? Who brings a puppy into a battle?" Naruto shot back.

"Huh? What are you talking about I always go into battle with Akamaru, we're partners." Kiba retorted.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. He understood fighting with a partner, that was Amidamaru for him after all, but as he spared the little puppy a glance, 'What is he supposed to do?' Naruto wondered, as Akamaru hardly looked the least bit threatening. A quick glance toward the proctor made it clear that he was going to allow Akamaru's participation. Well, as dubious as it all seemed, Naruto shrugged his shoulders and accepted it because in the end it wouldn't be his fault if Akamaru got hurt. Not that he would be actively trying to hurt the little guy; he wasn't a monster after all.

"If both participants are ready?" Hayate asked glancing between the two boys and receiving no signs of denial. "Then begin!"

"Since it's you Naruto I won't even need Akamaru to win this." The Inuzuka claimed confidently.

Naruto titled his head to the side in confusion. "Eh? If you didn't need Akamaru's help, why bring him down here at all?" The blonde questioned.

For a moment Kiba looked taken aback, as even Akamaru looked up at his owner at the question. "Uh, um that's, shut up!" Kiba shouted after he couldn't come up with a suitable excuse. "Just for that I'm going to end this with a single blow!" He further stated as he brought his hands up to perform a single hand seal. "Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!" Falling forward so that he was on all-fours chakra surrounded Kiba as his appearance changed just the slightest bit, nails becoming more like the claws of an animal. Kiba dashed forward, still crouched over, appearing in front of Naruto almost an instant later driving his elbow deep into Naruto's stomach and sending the blue-eyed shinobi hurling backwards to land hard on his back several feet away. "Well, that's that." Kiba voiced confidently. "You can go ahead and call the match there is no way he's getting up from that." He told the proctor.

…

Above them everyone seemed to be shocked… of how short the match was, they had already assumed that Naruto was going to lose. Except, of course, for Anna and the members of Team 7 who were staring at Naruto expectantly. Not one of them, not even for a second, believed that Naruto would be taken out that easily. Unfortunately, it wasn't a sentiment that was being shared.

"Well, that figures." Grumbled Shikamaru slouching against the railing.

Ino nodded her head in agreement. "I knew that Kiba had this in the bag, but not that fast."

Even the ever-optimistic Lee was giving Naruto's downed form a pitying look. Although given his recent encounter with Anna his spirit might still be recovering. Have to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.

Kurenai seeing her student standing proud and Kakashi's sprawled on the ground approached the grey haired Jōnin with a confident smile on her face. "I'm sorry to say this Kakashi," Though nothing in her demeanor implied as such. "But it looks like this match is over and done with."

From where she stood speaking to Kakashi the red eyed Jōnin missed the way that Anna tightened her hold on the handrails. The faint nearly imperceptible sound of creaking coming from them.

"Oh?" Kakashi started without turning to Kurenai. "Is that what it looks like to you Kurenai-kun?" He asked.

Kurenai's smile was nearly instantly wiped away to be replaced with a deep frown. "Why are you treating me like if I were a child?" The genjutsu mistress demanded.

"Because," Kakashi continued still looking down at Naruto, but a smile clear on his face even with the mask he wore. "It seems like you still have much to learn." He told her pride swelling in his lone visible eye.

…

Hayate rather than respond looked toward the young Inuzuka before turning his gaze past him. Confused Kiba turned to see what the proctor was looking at only to be surprised, along with everyone else, when he saw Naruto picking himself up off the ground. "W-what?" The brunette Gennin voiced disbelievingly.

"Sorry, Kiba." Naruto apologized, wiping away a bit of blood that came from the corner of his mouth.

"Why are you apologizing?!" Kiba demanded, crouching forward a bit with his guard up. "Did you hit your head or something?!"

Naruto chuckled a bit before answering, knowing that this would probably irritate his former classmate. "I underestimated you, sorry." Naruto told him.

"What?" Kiba growled out. "You underestimated me?!" That had to be a joke on Naruto's part. To be looked down on by the dead last of all people!

"Your faster than I thought." Naruto continued. "Not as fast as Haku though." He added. And it was true in terms of speed Kiba was no match for the Hyōton user.

"Don't be so damned cocky!" Kiba shouted at his blonde opponent. "Akamaru!" He called for his partner, getting answering bark in return, as he dug through his pouch for a dark sphere.

'A smoke bomb?' Naruto thought spotting and easily recognizing the object in Kiba's hand before the brunette threw it. He should after all with how frequently he used them in his pranks. Although the ones that he used Naruto made personally with a little something… extra mixed in. 'No, focus!' Naruto chastised himself as he mentally shook his head. He and Kiba had gotten in trouble enough times together in the academy for the Uzumaki to know that the Inuzuka would have no trouble targeting him in the cloud of smoke that would be created. Even without the addition of chakra an Inuzuka had a stronger sense of smell than most shinobi. Well, at least strong enough to locate him through the smoke.

Instinctively Naruto tried to channel chakra to his feet to escape the smoke bomb before it could fully envelope him. Unfortunately, his chakra was still slow to react and he lost the precious few seconds he had. Being stuck in the cloud of smoke Naruto could do nothing but try his best to escape while enduring Kiba's constant strikes. Eventually Naruto was able to get away but it was short lived because no sooner had he broken out of the smoke cover than Naruto found himself being jumped on by Akamaru.

Shooting out of the smoke Kiba had a wide grin knowing that Akamaru had Naruto taken care of. This was only confirmed in his eyes when the smoke started to disperse to reveal Naruto's prone form and Akamaru sitting dutifully beside the downed shinobi; tail wagging happily as he presented his "catch" to Kiba. "Alright way to go Akamaru!" Kiba praises his best friend and partner.

When Akamaru starts running towards him Kiba naturally opens his arms fulling expecting the little pup to jump into them. That's why he is caught completely off guard when Akamaru stops short before his form is obstructed in a poof of smoke. Kiba wasn't given time to ponder what that meant when something slammed up against his chin that sent him off his feet to land on the ground with a thud. "Ha! Weren't expecting that were you Kiba!" Naruto taunted with a grin.

Picking himself up so that he was resting on his elbows Kiba stared at Naruto with a look that made it clear that he didn't understand what happened. "Naruto?" He questioned before the most important part entered his mind, his eyes widening. "Where's Akamaru?!" He demanded. Grin still plastered across his face Naruto gestured with his head off to the side. Turning his head Kiba was further surprised to find Akamaru being held by his front paws by another Naruto! "Wha- Akamaru!" Kiba shouted getting a sorrowful whine from the Nin-ken.

…

"Hell yeah! Way to go Naruto!" Sakura shouted in encouragement of her teammate.

"YEAH, THAT'S THE WAY!" Lee's yell was, if nothing else, even more enthusiastic.

"Hey I'm not seeing things, am I?" Choji asked as he stared down at the arena floor.

Shikamaru shook his head in response. "If you are that makes two of us." He answered his best friend.

Ino was no less stupefied as she stared at the two Naruto's her eyes darting between them. The one who just decked Kiba and the one holding Akamaru. "What the heck is going on?! I thought the clone jutsu was just an illusionary technique. How can one attack Kiba while the other restrains Akamaru?!" The blonde kunoichi questioned.

Behind them Asuma chuckled at his students' confusion drawing their attention. "That's right I forgot that this would be the first time you lot would see Naruto use the Shadow clone jutsu." The Sarutobi said.

"Shadow clone?" Shikamaru inquired.

"So, it is a clone jutsu." Ino rationalized, tilting her head in thought. "But not the normal clone jutsu." She deduced given what she was seeing.

Asuma nodded his head. "That's right." He confirmed Ino's reasoning before continuing, speaking a little louder when he noticed that the other Konoha teams were listening as well. "The Shadow Clone jutsu is a B-rank Forbidden jutsu."

"B-rank!?"

"Forbidden jutsu!?"

Ino and Choji repeated disbelievingly.

"How did Naruto of all people learn something like that?" Shikamaru finished voicing his teammates questions.

"That's classified." Asuma answered with a cheeky grin. Though truthfully, he just wanted to mess with his students a little.

Ino huffed totally unsatisfied with the lack of an actual answer. "But you know sensei?" She asked dubiously.

"Hey now I am a Jōnin you know." Asuma retorted blandly. "And when a kid fresh out the academy – no not even out of the academy – learns a forbidden jutsu people are going to talk."

"Naruto learned that while we were in the academy." Choji said sounding more than a little impressed.

"The night of your gradation." Asuma supplied.

'In a single night?' Shikamaru thought in wonder. Being the difficulty of the so called forbidden jutsu or the amount of effort Naruto must have put into learning such a jutsu in one night. 'Then again it is Naruto.' While the blonde Uzumaki might not have gotten any results in the academy no one could deny that Naruto always gave it his all.

"Well, what makes a forbidden jutsu then?" Ino wondered.

"That would mostly be the chakra requirement to perform the jutsu." Asuma answered readily but, while still having everyone's attention, didn't leave it at that as he continued. "Let's say that the normal clone jutsu requires about a cup of water." He began drawing nods from his students to show that they were following along. "The Shadow clone needs a gallon. That's more than what most Chunin are capable of." Here Asuma paused for a second as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Honestly even amongst Jōnin the shadow clone jutsu isn't something that we can use carelessly." The chain smoker admitted.

"Then…" Ino began pensively. "Counting the one that he already made Naruto can make what? Two or one more, if even that." She assumed before shaking her head exasperatedly. "I knew that Naruto was an idiot, but seriously, to waste his chakra like that? Gain a little common sense would you."

Choji nodded his head in agreement. "He did catch us by surprise with that move just now." He stated, "But he also pretty much just stabbed himself in the foot with it. I mean we knew that Kiba was going to win in the end but Naruto just handed him the match."

Catching his two students' comments Asuma couldn't help the snort he let out drawing confused looks from them at what he found so amusing. "You guys really don't know anything about your former classmate, do you?" He asked them rhetorically with a shake of his head. "If the shadow clone needs a gallon of water to perform, then Naruto's chakra reserves amount to a water drum. And that's being extraordinarily ungenerous."

"Eh?"

…

Picking himself up off the ground while directing a glare at Naruto that could have set the blonde on fire, Kiba did his best to bite back the snarl that wanted to rip itself from his throat. Though he tried to calm himself down Kiba still found himself baring his teeth at Naruto, not unlike the animal companions of the Inuzuka. But as much as he wanted to just right out attack the blonde midget Kiba knew he had to calm himself down and retrieve Akamaru first. Thinking about his best friend and the precarious position he was currently in certainly helped as Kiba took a single deep breath before letting it out as he started to think clearly.

And now that he thought about it for a second what was with that jutsu that Naruto was using? Since when could he do something like that?

'Not like it matters in the end.' Kiba thought as he grabbed two small pellets from his pouch. "Hey Naruto," He called out to his former classmate. "If you know what's good for you, you'll let go of Akamaru right now." Kiba warned before flicking one pellet at Akamaru for him to eat and swallowing the second himself.

After ingesting the pill Akamaru went under a noticeable and a rather instant change. With his fur turning a rusty red and a growl deeper than a pup his size should be capable of Akamaru kicked his hind legs back into the shadow clone dispelling it and freeing himself to rejoin Kiba.

"Ah," Naruto murmured staring at a much more feral looking Akamaru. "So that's why he's called Akamaru." He finished in realization.

"Here we go Akamaru!" Kiba shouted crouching down so Akamaru had an easy time jumping on his back. "Beast Mimicry: Man Beast Clones!" Hidden by a cloud of smoke for a second because his jutsu it quickly cleared away to reveal two Kiba's, one undoubtedly a transformed Akamaru.

"Hey, now you're just copying me!" Naruto shouted pointing an accusing finger at the two.

Kiba would freely admit that he was momentarily dumbfounded by Naruto's accusation. "Who the hell would want to copy you?!" The Inuzuka shouted back. "If anything, you were trying to copy me!"

"That doesn't make any sense!" The blonde shaman refuted with a shake of his head. "How would I have even known to copy you genius?!"

"Shut up! That's how!" Kiba retorted.

…

"So that's why he was named Akamaru." Sakura mumbled to herself watching the little puppy's fur turn red. It's something that the pinkette had wondered about on occasion. She had just figured that Shiro had been too lazy of a name to consider and Shiromaru was only so much better and not all that good sounding.

Anyway, Sakura shook her head in exasperation, were they really getting into an argument in the middle of a match? Who does that?

The hypocrisy was lost on her.

And under normal circumstances Anna was more than fine calling Sakura out on her hypocrisy, but she was a little distracted as she heard the… biggest member of Team 10 who had yet to fight explain what it was that Kiba had just eaten.

"Food pills." Choji stated. "It was developed for the military. A booster that will allow people to fight for three days and nights without a break. They're not without side effects, but right now Kiba and Akamaru's chakra has at least doubled in strength." Choji explained with absolute surety. Afterall his family, the Akamichi clan, played a big part in the development of the mass-produced product.

Hearing the explanation Anna could understand how these pills could be useful. She also knew one other thing. Naruto absolutely could. NOT. EVER. take these pills. He already had a nearly boundless amount of energy if he were to take something that would allow him to fight without rest for three days and nights then what unholy hell would he wrought.

Although… the training implications were rather tempting.

…

"Enough!" Kiba shouted in agitation. "We're finishing this now Akamaru." He told his partner turned double. In perfect sync Kiba and Akamaru rushed Naruto swiping at the Uzumaki with their sharpened claws.

Naruto managed to dodge their initial swings, jumping back, but neither of the two members of the Inuzuka were going to leave it at that as they followed him. They attacked relentlessly; Naruto had no sooner dodged one of their attacks before he found himself moving to evade the other's follow-up. 'Faster!' Naruto thought as he spun away from one of Kiba's, or was it Akamaru's, swipes. 'I have to be faster!' The problem was that with the state that his chakra was in and with how his two opponents were attacking him from all angles he couldn't get his footing either.

Unable to dodge, dancing really Naruto thought with how often he spun around one of the others attacks, forever and eventually Naruto found himself jumping away. Higher into the air than he would have liked. Something that Kiba realized and capitalized on. "Now I've got you! Man-Beast Ultimate Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang!" Kiba and Akamaru jumped into the air after Naruto rotating their bodies until they looked like twin twisters.

Naruto couldn't help the cry of pain that he let out as he felt the two slam into him, the feeling of being slashed by their claws from two directions at the same time shredding away at him. Finally, he was shot out from between them to land hard on the ground spitting out more blood from his mouth as more fell from a wound on his head.

…

If she was a less gracious person Kurenai would have grinned at Naruto's downed form, as it were she at the very least allowed herself a smile. And why wouldn't she? As discourteous as it might seem Naruto's loss ultimately meant her student's win. She was allowed to be happy about that, wasn't she? Sure, Naruto had surprised her for a little bit there but Kiba had in the end proved that he was the one that had grown the most between them since they became Gennin. That pride was why she found herself boasting to Kakashi once more.

"Well, Kakashi, Naruto put up a good fight, I suppose, but there is no way that Kiba will lose now." The red eyed kunoichi claimed. "It's to be expected though. Naruto was the dead last of the academy after all. And, unlike Uzumaki, Kiba is part of the Inuzuka clan. Whether its skill or lineage Naruto is just completely outclassed when compared to Kiba." Kurenai boasted proudly.

Kurenai missed it, and to her defense anyone would, but Kakashi stilled, unnaturally so. He wasn't about to begrudge Kurenai for being proud of her student, to rejoice in his accomplishments, or for letting others know it. But it was Naruto who she was talking about. The son of a man that Kakashi had come to consider a father after his own's death. And if there was ever a person who he loved more than Minato then it would be Kushina, the woman who filled the role of a mother he could hardly remember.

And Kurenai insulted, unintentional as it might have been, both her son and her family.

So, ok he admittedly might be a bit biased in his… disapproval … toward the raven-haired woman.

Kakashi took a single deep breath before letting it out silently so that he'd calm down. 'Well,' Kakashi thought to himself. 'It's not like I'm the worst one here.' No, that rite belonged to the young woman engaged to Naruto. Even with her back toward them Kakashi felt like he was staring down an apex predator. Haku and Sakura were moving away from the girl while trying not to be obvious about it. If it wasn't such a contradictory feeling Kakashi thought that he might burst into laughter. Because if he wasn't so sure in Naruto then he would be laughing now that in her boasting Kurenai had all but assured that her student would lose.

Before today Anna didn't have an opinion about Kurenai. Why would she? Anna met the older woman once, briefly, and didn't give her a second thought afterwards. Now she had earned Anna's ire. 'Naruto,' Anna thought in her head. 'Is fighting your student with two handicaps; his chakra control is shot and is fighting two on one.' She wanted to point out. That despite these handicaps Kiba was still forced to use his trump card.

Then Kurenai inadvertently insulted the Uzumaki clan, the family that Naruto had longed for, the family that she was marrying into. Claiming that they were somehow inferior to the Inuzuka. The Asakura clan that had allowed Naruto and her to meet. Suddenly that raging inferno had turned into a frozen tundra.

"Amidamaru," Anna whispered, the samurai spirit appearing at her side immediately silently waiting her command. "Go."

Amidamaru didn't say a word as he disappeared to join his partner.

…

Naruto forced himself to get back on his feet. As much as he might hate to admit it, he definitely felt that last attack from Kiba and Akamaru. It was also kind of hard to ignore the blood that was trailing down the side of his face. What Naruto did not want to think about was just how torn up his clothes up were. Sowing up all those tears was going to be such a pain in the ass later.

"I will say this about you Naruto." Kiba started seeing the blonde Uzumaki back on his feet. "You really are too stubborn to know when to give up." Although it might have meant to be a compliment the annoyed tone in Kiba's voice made it clear that it was anything but.

In return Naruto gave Kiba a defiant grin. "Why would I give up when I got you right where I want you." It was a bit of a bluff on the shaman's part but Naruto's spirit was hardly broken so he was sure that he could still win.

Kiba tilted his head away with a scowl present on his face. "Seriously would you just give it up already?" Kiba demanded. "I mean just look at yourself. Do you honestly believe that someone as weak as you have a chance of winning? Of being Hokage? Get real!" The Inuzuka scoffed in disdain.

"I-I will be Hokage." Naruto claimed defiantly.

Kiba shook his head in irritation at how obstinate the blonde was being. Not that it was anything new Naruto had always been like that adamant about his dream no matter how badly he'd fail at something or what obstacle got in his way. His resolve would be admirable if Kiba didn't find it so damn annoying. I mean where did all that determination come from? Naruto was the dead last of the academy and failed so often that he became the laughing stock of their class before everyone just grew tired of him. Anyone else would have given up by then, but no not Naruto. No matter what people said, no matter how many laughed he was always looking ahead steadfast in his pursuit of his dream.

Again, admirable if it wasn't so god damn annoying.

"There is no chance you're ever going to be Hokage." Kiba disagreed before pointing his thumb against his chest. "Because I'm going to be Hokage!"

At Kiba's declaration Naruto found himself clenching his fists to the point of drawing blood with his nails. "No Kiba," He denied with a shake of his head. "You won't." He stated absolutely. "Become I made her a promise to become the strongest."

"Her?" Kiba questioned confused.

"And she believes in me and my dream." Naruto continued unimpeded by Kiba's confusion. "I won't disappoint her. I refuse. I will become Hokage and keep my promise of a life time to her."

"I am here with you, my friend." Amidamaru professed appearing at Naruto's side to stare down, unseen, Kiba and Akamaru. "We'll fight them together."

"Amidamaru?" Naruto whispered in surprise not expecting his guardian ghost to be allowed to join him in this fight.

Amidamaru spared his shaman a look with smile spreading across his face. "Seems like someone had a change of heart." He said nodding his head up to the gallery causing Naruto to look up only for his breath to catch in his throat.

On some subconscious level Naruto knew that his fiancée was beautiful, a veritable angle. But right now, as he looked up at her, her piercing amber colored eyes (6) that right now looked colder than ice, blonde hair falling to her shoulders, and the hand rail crushed between her hands she looked more like a goddess to Naruto. A vengeful goddess.

'God she is so hot.' It was a thought that ran through Naruto's mind before he even knew it.

A little ruefully Naruto shook his head to snap himself out of the trance that Anna had him under and focus back on his match. "If I have you by my side Amidamaru there is no way that we'll lose." Naruto stated confidently.

"Right," Amidamaru agreed. "We will show them the strength of our teamwork." With those words the samurai spirit's form changed into a ball

"Spirit Form," Naruto spoke the spirit ball of Amidamaru appearing in his hand before he pushed it into his chest. "Unity." Once more Naruto's jacket was forced open, as a smile played across his lips, lifting his hand from his chest to slide his goggles down from his forehead to cover his eyes. No matter how many times he did it Naruto always found it exhilarating when he performed Unity with Amidamaru like a sudden shot of adrenalin. "Now round 2 begins." The blonde Uzumaki claimed.

Kiba and Akamaru vs. Naruto and Amidamaru

…

Above them Anna was able to maintain her impeccable look only until Naruto turned away. Once he did Anna dropped her head, leaning forward so that her head almost met the railing, so that her hair might hide just how red her face suddenly was. Did he really have to say all that about her? While no one else might know who he was talking about she obviously did. And the way that he was staring at her just now, the dumbstruck look on his face.

'Stupid, idiot, dunce!' If just a look left her feeling so embarrassed Anna didn't want to even begin to imagine what state she would be in if she read his mind at that moment.

Of course, suddenly acting all flustered and embarrassed wasn't the sort of things that would go unnoticed in a room full of shinobi. Seeing the state that she was in Ino eyes widened in realization as she remembered what Sakura had told her before. So, grabbing the pinkette's arm she yanked the girl to her. "Hey forehead-girl." Ino whispered into Sakura's ear in a hiss. "Is that what you were talking about?" She questioned.

Pulling her arm free Sakura rubbed her shoulder shooting Ino a glare, when the Yamanaka heiress was on the hunt for gossip, she was hardly ever gentle about it. "Jeez Ino can you be any vaguer." The emerald eyed kunoichi complained. Though she had a fairly good idea what Ino was asking Sakura was just choosing to be obstinate because of Ino's rough treatment. With a tired sigh Sakura answered Ino. "Yeah, Anna pretty much only has eyes for Naruto." The female member of Team 7 revealed.

It took Ino a second to process what Sakura confirmed for her before her face ended up scrunching up in distaste. "Well, she definitely has lousy taste in-" But before the blonde kunoichi could finish Sakura slapped her hand over Ino's mouth to silence her.

Ino gave Sakura the best 'What the hell' look she could while the pink haired girl's hand covered her mouth. "I'm warning you Ino you really don't want to finish that thought." She advised. Taking a chance Sakura peeked over her shoulder only to freeze up. Feeling Sakura suddenly tense Ino looked over the other girl's shoulder only to feel her own breath hitch in her throat.

Staring back at them, head still tilted forward so that her hair shadowed her face, with only a single eye visible through her parted hair was Anna. Whether Anna had managed to overhear their whispers was unimportant to Ino at the moment as she received the worst death stare that she had ever gotten in her life. It was only when Anna turned away that the two girls felt like they could draw breath again. "She's scary." Ino muttered.

"You have no idea." Sakura answered lamenting her misfortune of actually knowing better.

Not too far away Kurenai was feeling a sense of righteous indignation as she stared at the form of the girl that was slowly recovering from her embarrassment. While she wasn't aware of the context, Naruto's words clearly had an effect of the girl. More than Kurenai would have expected. "I thought you said that she was engaged." The crimson eyed Jōnin bit out shortly.

"She is." Kakashi answered almost disinterestedly. Really it was just another petty form of vengeance on his part against Kurenai as he was positive that his dismissal of her question would just anger her further.

Which Kakashi was right about as Kurenai visibly bristled. "Didn't you say she was very much taken with her fiancé?" She continued to question.

"She is." Kakashi repeated in the same tone.

If possible, Kakshi would be nothing but a smothering pile of ash right now given the glare that Kurenai was directing at him. "Then what is all that about?" The sensei of Team 8 demanded with a gesture toward Anna.

Kakashi gave a hum and even went out of his way to look thoughtful as stared up at the ceiling for a second. "Well, what do you think it means Kurenai?" He goaded her in turn.

Kurenai kept her glare trained on Kakashi, even as her mind raced with what the grey haired Jōnin might be implying, before her eyes widened in realization. "You can't be implying that Naruto is the one that Anna is engaged to." She said disbelievingly. "Why didn't you say as much before." Kurenai finished accusingly.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders uncaringly. "I didn't see a reason to share more than I already had." He told her. If he was sharing so much with Kurenai now it was only because Naruto and Anna made it rather obvious that there was more than a mere friendship between them.

Kurenai scowled at Kakashi and when turning her attention to Anna before settling on Naruto. All the anger that Kurenai was feeling was centered around how the news of Naruto's engagement was going to affect her student. Kurenai grimaced as she remembered that she had just reassured Hinata that there was nothing going on between the two blondes.

Hinata fidgeted nervously her gaze shifting between Naruto and Anna before switching back again. Before today she had never seen the other girl, but from the way that she and Naruto interacted with one another it was clear that they at least knew each other. That alone was enough to have Hinata's heart ill at ease. Now she didn't want to be the kind of girl that was jealous whenever their crush spent time with another girl, but somethings Hinata just couldn't help.

From the moment she saw how Anna and Naruto interacted with one another they shared a familiarity that seemed to go beyond mere acquaintances. It only served to make Hinata even more anxious. Kurenai's comfort had helped some so did the knowledge that Anna was engaged to some clan heir, but still Hinata found herself keeping one eye on the matches and the other on the pair of blondes. And despite her best efforts Hinata found herself becoming increasingly envious of Anna. Even if there was nothing romantic going on between them the ease that Anna spoke to Naruto was enough for Hinata's eyes to turn green with envy.

Anna was even bold enough to touch – pinch – Naruto's cheeks! Something that Hinata has wanted to do herself for years! The fantasy of having Naruto rest his head on her lap while she petted his whiskers as he purred like a cat was an often daydream of hers. Then when it looked, like Anna was going to strip Naruto of his shirt and jacket Hinata was sure she was going to faint with her face burning a bright red. She was equal parts relieved and disappointed when Kakashi stopped her.

All this was disheartening to the Hyuuga heiress but it hardly compared to the look that Naruto had given the girl; a look Hinata wished was directed at her. Like Anna was the most extraordinary and precious thing in the world to him. Hinata managed to console herself a bit with the idea that when Naruto eventually learned that Anna was set to marry someone else, she could provide him comfort and grow closer because of it. Rather devious on her part but something that Hinata wholeheartedly believed was well worth it.

…

Kiba felt himself teetering between feeling suspicious and offended as he stared at the wooden sword that Naruto was now wielding. He knew that the blonde was an idiot but did he actually think that a bokken would be a useful weapon against him. And that's what made Kiba suspicious that there was more going on than what he was seeing. Because the Naruto standing before him seemed different from the guy he's always known somehow. Not to mention how his jacket tore itself open just now. What the hell was that?! A jutsu? Because it was kind of cool. Not that Kiba was about to admit that to Naruto!

With another wary glance at the bokken Kiba and Akamaru shared a look before they both charged at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes switched between the two as Kiba and Akamaru traded off the lead in their charge. But the Uzumaki wasn't willing to be on the defensive again as he poured furyoku into his weapon. With a cry of celestial slash Naruto swung his sword releasing an arcing horizontal wave of energy toward the Inuzuka pair. The attack was entirely unexpected as Kiba and Akamaru scrambled to jump away in different directions. Not knowing which of them was the real Kiba, Naruto picked one at random and moved to fight them. Dodging the first couple of swings the Kiba, Naruto targeted eventually rose of his arms to block one of Naruto's strikes only to wince upon contact. While it might not be a real sword Naruto's bokken still hurt to block like he did.

'Behind you Naruto!' Amidamaru warned having made an effort to keep watch of the second Kiba while Naruto focused on the first.

With a kick to the stomach of the Kiba that he was facing, knocking him away, Naruto spun around to find the other Kiba mid-air before he began to spin in the telltale signs of a Fang Over Fang. On instinct Naruto charged his bokken with furyoku for a celestial slash but didn't release it like he normally did rather keeping it within the weapon and using it to block the Fang Over Fang. Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand just a second before Amidamaru warned him of another attack. Naruto grimaced at having to split his focus like he'd have to but freeing one hand from his bokken he held it palm out until Amidamaru told him it was aimed at the Kiba he was originally fighting. 'Let's try this.' Naruto thought. "Hadō #1. Shō!" Then unseen by everyone a force slammed into Kiba halting his charge before he ended up falling backward from the unexpected action. Temporarily free of one of his opponents Naruto turned all his attention to the one he had sword locked. Channeling more furyoku into is sword Naruto swung down with all his might pushing the attacking Inuzuka off to the side.

"Nicely done Naruto," Amidamaru said taking a moment to praise his partner "I imagine that last attack was fruit of the scrolls Anna insists you study?" He questioned.

Naruto nodded his head gaze lingering on the Kiba he hit with the Hadō spell. "Yeah, but I still have to work on it. The notes say it should work with a single finger. I need my whole hand." The shinobi admits.

"What the hell?! How many weird ass jutsu do you have Naruto!" Kiba demanded once he was back on his feet. "I didn't even see you perform any hand seals!"

Naruto grinned cheekily in return. "You haven't seen anything yet Kiba." The blonde shaman retorted confidently.

With a 'tch' Kiba ran at Naruto with Akamaru following the silent command from Naruto's other side.

Confident as he was Naruto knew that when it came to maneuverability he was still at a disadvantage when compared to Kiba and Akamaru. So, he compensated the only way he knew how. If his chakra was unavailable to him then he'd rely on his furyoku. It was something he never tried before always having access to both so he wasn't even sure if it was possible. 'Well, no better time than now to find out.' Naruto thought determined. Well not like he had a lot of time to think about it as Kiba and Akamaru were as relentless as ever.

Eventually Kiba and Akamaru were able to corner Naruto once more so they moved to maximize their attack with a roar of "Fang Over Fang!" the two turned to a pair of drilling fangs that were coming down on the Uzumaki.

Only for Naruto disappear from right underneath their attack and reappear a second later a safe and significant distance away.

…

"Well, you don't see that every day." Kakashi commented lightly.

"I know," Sakura said in awe. "Since when was Naruto so fast? And that jutsu he used before was it really seal-less? I thought you said that that a person needed a lot of training before they could do something like that Kakashi-sensei."

"You do." Kakashi confirmed with a nod of his head. "But jutsu? I wonder." The sole living Hatake murmured his gaze flickering briefly to Anna before blinking in confusion when he registered what Sakura said before. "Fast?" Kakashi said in slight bewilderment staring at Sakura.

Hearing the confusion in Kakashi's voice Sakura turned to look at the Jōnin with her own puzzled expression. "I blinked and he was standing in entirely different place." She told him. "If it wasn't that, what were you talking about Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked him.

Kakashi returned his attention back to Naruto. "Just now…he only took a single step." He told her.

…

When an Inuzuka first learned the Fang Over Fang jutsu the first thing they had to be accustomed to was… well… not puking their guts out each time they used the jutsu. Baths were a necessity in those early days for the Inuzuka learning the jutsu and at times the one unfortunate enough to be teaching them. The second was being able to keep track of an opponent while rotating at such speeds. That's why when Naruto suddenly disappeared on them instead of slamming into the ground Kiba and Akamaru were able to stop their jutsu and land on the ground, admittedly rather ungracefully. Still Kiba's head snapped to where Naruto was standing only for his eyes to widen when an instant later Naruto was standing in front of him mid-swing. Acting on instinct Kiba ducked under the swing before backflipping away, trying to land a kick against Naruto's head as he did so.

Leaning back Naruto managed to dodge the kick and another warning from Amidamaru had Naruto turning his attention to the second Kiba running at him, claws poised to slash at him. "Hadō #1: Shō!" Arm held out toward the Kiba attacking him and like before an invisible force impacted against Kiba with enough power to lift him off his feet and send him a couple of feet back, but unlike last time he managed to remain standing. Though before Kiba could capitalize on this Naruto released a celestial slash that had him diving to avoid it. Naruto barely caught the growl from the first Kiba before he moved out of the way of a passing swipe from the Inuzuka only to continue to dart out of the way.

Kiba could feel the tides turning, or rather, that the tides turned back when Naruto picked himself up after that first Fang Over Fang. Before Naruto had been unsteady during his and Akamaru's attack, scrambling to dodge and barely managing at that. Now they were sprinting in their attempt to chase Naruto down across the arena floor in their bid to pin him down.

When the hell did Naruto get so fast?!

And to make matters worse for the Inuzuka pair every failed attack on their part resulted in a successful counterattack from Naruto. Kiba was really starting to hate that bokken.

That's why Kiba probably took a bit more pleasure than he probably should have when Akamaru managed to grab Naruto's weapon and he was able to snap it in half.

…

"Again," Anna muttered under her breath. Again, she is forced to stand on the sidelines and watch as Naruto's weapon was broken, and she doubts it will be the last time it'd happen if Naruto continued to use wooden swords as his main weapon. 'He needs a proper sword.' She thinks obviously.

"Seriously," Asuma drawls out. "That's not Shunshin is it, Kakashi? Did you teach it to him? I haven't seen anyone use it like that since Shisui." The Sarutobi clan member commented being reminded of the prodigious Uchiha. While not on the same level as Shisui yet that could easily be explained away as Naruto not having mastered the jutsu yet to the same degree.

"Um, is it just me?" Sakura spoke up. "Or does it look like Naruto is getting faster?" The pinkette asked, getting some curious looks from the others before they turned those looks toward Naruto. It took a second but Naruto's movements did seem to be sharper – faster – to everyone watching. Even to the Jōnin it was becoming clear that Naruto was moving faster than before.

"No," Kurenai muttered mostly to herself. "If Kiba can just find a way to pin Naruto down then-"

"It's too late." Anna cut Kurenai off. "Naruto's already won." She claimed with a slight smile.

"Wha- you can't know that." Kurenai refuted hastily. "No matter your personal connection to Naruto this match isn't over yet and Kiba won't lose that easily!"

Anna shook her head in response. "There is nothing personal about it. Naruto is a kinesthetic learner. The more he does something the quicker he'll pick it up. He's not getting faster he's getting used to that technique. The longer a fight goes on the more Naruto adapts to his opponent making it that much harder for them to win against him. Fact is the best chance that your student had of winning this match was to finish it as quickly as possible." The blonde Itako stated confidently.

"Kinesthetic?" Sakura murmured with a tilt of her head recalling what that would mean. "If that is true that would help explain all the supplementary classes that Naruto was forced to take in the academy."

"Supplementary classes?" Kakashi repeated confused.

Sakura faced Kakashi and gave him a nod in confirmation. "Back when we were all in the academy Naruto would miss class for days sometimes weeks at a time and then come back like nothing happened. Eventually we all figured that he was being forced to take supplementary classes so he wouldn't get expelled." She explained but furrowed her brows uncertainly at the looks that the strange looks she was receiving. "W-was that wrong?" The pinkette asked tentatively.

To Kakashi it was obvious that the time that Naruto spent away from the academy was because he was training with the Asakura's like the Sandaime told him. "The academy doesn't offer supplemental classes." The grey haired Jōnin informed her. "While advanced classes might be offered to students that prove to be exceptionally talented, if a student requires supplementary classes, multiple times at that, then the academy will dismiss them from the ninja program rather than waste their time with them." He clarified seriously.

"Oh," Sakura mumbled at the unexpected revelation. Everyone in the academy had been so sure that Naruto had to frequently take remedial lessons or be expelled. More than one student had complained at how unfair it was that they were all working so hard while the worst student in their class kept getting one chance after another. 'But we were all wrong.' The pinkette thought glancing down at her teammate. All those who thought themselves so much better than Naruto couldn't even hold a candle to him now. Herself included. "So, if he wasn't taking remedial lessons where was Naruto?" Sakura wondered idly.

Kakashi eye flicked toward Anna for a second waiting to see if she would say anything but when she chose to stay silent so Kakashi chose not to disclose anything about Naruto's time training with the Asakura's. "I suppose you will have to ask him." Kakashi answered noncommittedly. Both he and the Hokage already knew the truth and if neither Naruto nor Anna chose to share the fact that the blonde shaman regularly trained with his adopted family then it wasn't any of his concern or business.

…

Once his bokken had been broken Naruto threw it away. When this had happened before Naruto had unsealed a spare and he would have done the same thing now only Kiba and Akamaru didn't give him a chance as they rushed him performing one Fang Over Fang after another forcing him to continuously dodge. Naruto wasn't sure how exactly he was suddenly moving so fast, or if Kiba and Akamaru were more worn out than he thought, only that it had to be because he was using his furyoku instead of his chakra to increase his speed.

Anna was going to force him to figure out every detail. Although, if Naruto was being honest, he would have done so anyway, this was a lot of fun.

"Hadō #1: Shō!" The first Kido spell was a single quick short burst of force, but Naruto decided to try to be a little creative in his use of it this time. Naruto cast the spell with both hands, holding them out wide toward the two Inuzuka, tweaking the technique a little so that instead of a single burst it was more like a continuous stream. So, when Kiba and Akamaru aimed at him with their Fang Over Fang Naruto spun and the two passed around him harmlessly. "Shadow Clone jutsu!" With a shout a large cloud of smoke formed before two Naruto's dashed out each running after a Kiba.

Landing after missing Kiba spun on his feet ready to make another attempt only for his eyes widen when he found Naruto already in front of him, and he could spot another standing before Akamaru, with a punch already heading his way. Tilting his head Kiba could feel the air rush past the side of his head. Taking a step back Kiba lashed out throwing a punch of his own that was blocked by Naruto. Remembering Naruto's weird ass jutsu Kiba broke away before he could hit him with it.

Though a pained shout momentarily distracted him.

While Kiba had managed to handle his short bout with Naruto, Akamaru wasn't as fortunate. Now while the young pup could handle himself in most instances the fact is that when it came to hand-to-hand combat Akamaru heavily relied on the Inuzuka style of Taijutsu and normally that wasn't at all an issue, especially when working together with Kiba. But at its base the style was based on the movements of a canine and the ability to lunge forward to use their jutsu. Naruto had gotten in close before Akamaru could react and refused to allow the nin-ken to put any sort of distance between them since then. This misfortune was only compounded by the fact that Akamaru just wasn't used to fighting in Kiba's body without his usual style leaving the transformed pup to sloppily swipe at Naruto with his clawed hand. It wasn't like Akamaru was hopeless with his attacks, any two-bit bandit would have their hands full with him even with these disadvantages, but Naruto wasn't some random bandit and was showing a level of skill that no one outside Team 7 and the Hokage even knew he was capable of.

The Naruto facing Akamaru burst into a cloud of smoke when Kiba rushed in delivering a strike to the back of its head. Skidding a bit as Kiba came to a stop in front of Akamaru the two stared at each other in a moment of confusion before refocusing themselves at charging at the Naruto that Kiba had originally been fighting. Naruto in turn moved back, always staying right out of their reach.

Kiba and Akamaru were so focused on chasing after Naruto that they failed to realize that they were being led by Naruto toward the still lingering cloud of smoke. They finally noticed when Naruto stopped just short of it.

"Celestial Slash!" From within the smoke two arcs of energy appeared, Naruto ducking down to let the attack sail over his head, and slammed into Kiba and Akamaru eliciting twin cries of pain from the two. Naruto quickly rose before running toward one of the Kiba's as another jumped out of the cloud of smoke with a new bokken in hand. The first Naruto delivered a vicious punch to one of the Kiba's causing their head to snap to the side and off their feet. When that Kiba hit the ground, he rolled for a couple feet before coming to a stop and being enveloped in a burst of smoke that revealed a downed Akamaru. Naruto barely spared Akamaru a glance as he quickly moved to knock the real Kiba off his feet before he could recover.

Above them Naruto, the real one, seeing Kiba fall to the ground on his back swung his bokken in a wide crescent, arcs of red energy with wisps of blue flowing off its wooden blade, before releasing all the gathered energy. "Celestial Slash!" Instead of the normal arc like attack it almost looked like a stream of energy was released.

The attack slammed into Kiba, causing his eyes to widen and let out a pained cry, and when the attack finally ended, he lied on the ground unconscious.

Hayate stared intently at the Inuzuka's form for just a moment looking for any sign that the boy could continue but it quickly became apparent that that wouldn't be happening. "Winner, Naruto Uzumaki!"

It took a second for Hayate's words to register in Naruto's mind, his eyes darting between Kiba and Akamaru weapon at the ready for when either made a move, but when they did a brief look of surprise crossed his face before a wide grin spread across it. "Hell yeah!" He cheered throwing his arms up in the air in celebration.

…

"Yeah, way to go Naruto!" Sakura cheered happily for her teammate.

"He did it." Haku said with a smile because while he might not be applauding Naruto as loudly as Sakura he was just as happy for the Uzumaki.

"Seriously?" Ino muttered in disbelief. "Talk about an upset."

"No kidding," Choji agreed nodding his head. "That is Naruto, isn't it?"

"Well would you look at that." Kakashi mused lightly. "Three out of four isn't bad. Wouldn't you say so, Kurenai-kun?" The grey haired Jōnin asked his colleague, needling the dark-haired woman just a bit.

Something that Kurenai was well aware of as she threw a scowl Kakashi's way before her attention turned to Naruto, who was making his way up to them, and finally settling on Kiba. Despite what she had just seen Kurenai couldn't bring herself to make sense of it. Everything that she knew of Naruto told her that there was no way that the Uzumaki should have ever beaten her student. 'And yet…' There was no denying reality though; Kiba had lost. Clearly there was more to Naruto than she, than everyone, knew. 'But she does.' Kurenai thought eyes darting to the back of Anna's form. Whatever secrets, or whatever else, allowed Naruto to win Anna Kyoyama was conscious about it.

Anna could practically feel Kurenai's curious gaze practically digging into her back. A part of her, a significant part of her, wanted to turn to the woman and smirk condescendingly at her. It was petty, justifiably so in her opinion after Kurenai was so dismissive of her Naruto, but Anna restrained herself. Not out of some sense of being the better person rather because she was distracted by someone approaching Naruto just as he made it up to the balconies.

A girl with short blue hair and a beige coat.

From where she was standing, Anna couldn't hear what they were talking about. The girl's back was to Anna but even still she could make out that she seemed to be handing something to Naruto. What she gave him, what they were talking about, none of it really mattered because even with the girl's back to her Anna saw how she stood, her subtle body movements, how she seemed to look at Naruto before shyly glancing away as she drew into herself. It was all so familiar. 'Great another one.' Anna thought exasperatedly. 'A blue one this time.' She finished with a mental sigh.

---

AN: At first this was supposed to cover all the preliminary matches but when I got started on the next match it felt all the momentum was lost and if I continued it would end on a low note rather than a high one. So next chapter, whenever that'll come out, will cover the remaining matches before moving onto the one-month training break which will mostly focus on character and plot development. Which I am extra excited for because I've had this scene in my head that I've been really looking forward to writing out and hope that everyone enjoys. Actually, two scenes.

I really had fun writing Anna in this chapter and I hope that everyone enjoyed it just as much.

(1): In most anime being able to sense and identify an individual by their power, chakra or otherwise, is a typical theme. But I don't think that was ever a thing in Shaman King. Or at least I don't remember it being and for the sake of this story it won't. AT least not individuals.

(2): This is my attempt at the strange way Naruto understand things remembering how Gamakichi explained Natural Energy and Senjutsu to Naruto in the manga. I hope it does make sense to everyone.

(3): At this point I am sure some are wondering why Anna isn't reading people's minds, or revealed Orochimaru's hidden identity as the Oto Jōnin. Well, that's because unless she was a reason Anna doesn't go around reading everyone's mind. With Ryo and the Dead Enders, it made sense to me since traveling on the road you'd want to keep an ear out in the preliminaries not so much. Besides with Gaara and Shukaku there with his faulty seal if she did try and read anyone's mind, I fully believe Anna would just get overwhelmed by the pair.

(4): This is my first time writing Lee and I never realized how hard it would be. Maybe because when it comes to personality, he's the exact opposite of me.

(5): I feel like I'm bashing Tenten a little but after rewatching these episodes I'm more than a little disappointed with her fight against Temari. Besides the obvious failure in her match some of her weapons were close range and she never thought to use them like that. Then there was her running around Temari at the start of the match, I mean what was the point? Unless the animation failed, she wasn't all that fast, didn't trying attacking Temari in her blind spot, and when she stopped it was nearly in the exact spot that she started. I think that would be literal definition of wasted effort.

Then we have Temari. I don't have as much problem with her in this match but I do question the point in her disappearing act only to reappear flying on her fan and land in the same spot that she disappeared from. Was there a point to all that? Was she just showing off? Did something get lost in translation on the English dub?

(6): It's here were I point out that I am now basing Anna's appearance on the newer version of Shaman King. Apologies if that annoys anyone.

Thank you for reading.