A/N: I'm back again. It seems the more I try to stick to a schedule the more life screws with me. I got hit with the worst case of writers block I have had since I started doing this. I'm still not a hundred percent satisfied with the chapter but I didn't want to put it off any longer. This chapter sets up something for later on, see if you can catch it.

Naruto: Sealed Fate

Chapter 10

Naruto knocked on Akisame's door at exactly seven o'clock Monday morning. He had finally gotten into the habit of arriving right on time. Akisame welcomed him and they proceeded to the backyard. Once there, Naruto stretched and went into a routine that utilized all eight katas. Akisame still had to correct him a couple of times but was pleased overall at his apprentice's progress. When Naruto was finished, he stood waiting patiently for Akisame to begin the lesson.

Akisame stroked his bearded chin as he began speaking. "The time as come for me to teach you the final component to the Shadow Eel Style. Up until now, you have learned how to face your foe in pure combat by evading and deflecting their blows. We, however, are ninja. We do not fight face to face when we can attack from behind. The knife in the back is deadlier than the sword in your face. The Shadow Dance is the technique that will allow you to become that knife."

Akisame stood directly in front of Naruto. "Stand in the basic academy attack position," he ordered. Naruto did not understand but he did not hesitate to comply. "Now, without moving your head, I want you to take note of the limits of your vision." He watched as the young man's eyes rolled around. "This is your field of vision. As you can see, it is limited. You can see what is directly in front and to either side of you. Tell me, without moving your head, can you see what is right at your feet?"

Naruto looked down and to his surprise, realized that he could not in fact even see his feet. Naruto looked back up when he heard his teacher chuckling at his shock.

"Fortunately for those of us with both of our eyes in the front of our heads, we can move our necks to extend our field of vision. Go on, try it." Naruto moved his head and took note of where his range was extended. "You will notice," Akisame continued, "that your view has now grown to just above and below you, as well as just behind you on the right and left side. That leaves a sizable blind spot does it not?" Naruto nodded in assent.

"Most taijutsu practitioners and all shinobi learn to supplement our limited field of vision in various ways. We learn to listen and feel for movement and many develop a sixth sense that alerts them when someone is close behind them. Through the Shadow Dance you will learn how to remain in your opponent's blind spot and to minimize or even negate those supplementary senses."

Naruto had to fight to maintain his calm. This was better than he had hoped for. So what if he could never really excel at the academy style of taijutsu, this was ten, no, a hundred times better.

As much as Naruto tried to hide his excitement, Akisame easily picked up on it. The elder nin was excited as well. This would determine whether or not Naruto was the true successor to the Shadow Eel Style. If he could master the Shadow Dance, Akisame could live out the remainder of his life in the hope that his art would live on.

"Now for the first step, you must learn to minimize your presence while maximizing your awareness." Akisame sat in a meditative pose followed shortly by his apprentice. "Close your eyes and feel the world around you. Feel how it interacts with you, with your body. Listen to the sounds of your environment, feel its touch on your skin, notice the smells in the air." Naruto calmed himself and followed his master's words. This was much easier to do after all of his time meditating. Soon he felt it. He could hear the birds in the trees, the squirrels scampering on the ground. He could feel the air flow around him and the sand shift beneath him."

"Now open your eyes," Akisame ordered. Naruto complied and noted by the change in the shadows, that more than an hour had passed. "Could you feel it Naruto?"

"Hai, sensei, I could."

"Good, now close your eyes once more and this time I want you to not only feel the world around you but feel your place in it." Naruto obeyed once more. It came a little faster this time. Once he was there, he turned his focus inward. "Feel your energy, your chakra," Akisame whispered. "Feel how it flows through you. Feel your aura, that link to the world around you." Naruto sat in silence trying to get a sense of what his teacher was telling him. After a while, he slowly began to feel how his energy seemed to extend out, wrapping him in an aura of his own vitality.

Akisame watch Naruto as he searched for that balance with his environment. Akisame's mastery of this particular skill gave him an idea of when his pupil achieved his goal. "Now here comes the difficult part," he whispered. "I want you to slowly draw in your energy. Imagine a beach. The shore is the world around you and the sea is your energy. Each time the waves flow back out to sea, they recede a little more, drawing away from the beach. Let your energy recede just like that wave, drawing it in slowly, a little bit at a time.

Naruto listened and tried to do as his teacher instructed. He could sense his energy and he attempted to slowly draw it in but when he tried, he would lose his feel for his surroundings. However, Uzumaki Naruto was no quitter, so he would simply start over hoping to see where he went wrong.

Akisame watched him struggle. Truthfully, this was one of the hardest things to learn about the Shadow Dance. Several hours passed as Naruto tried to get the hang of the exercise. He kept getting closer but the answer simply eluded him. He felt disappointed, like he had let Akisame down.

"Mah mah, don't feel bad Naru-chan. You did much better than I hoped. I never expected you to get even as far as you did today."

"Really?" Naruto questioned. Akisame was always honest with him so he had no reason to doubt his word, but still.

Akisame laughed at the hopeful expression on the youngsters face. "Really. You have this intuitive feel for your surroundings. I believe this is why you are so good at stealth. You just have to work at it. So from now on, for two hours every night, I want you to practice this exercise. When you get here in the mornings that is also what you will do for the first two hours. Tomorrow I will teach you the art of shadowing someone."

They stood, brushing the sand from their clothes, and walked inside. "Now, how about joining your sensei for a nice lunch.


After lunch, Naruto went through his now daily routine of tracking down his perverted fuinjutsu instructor. The man was the embodiment of the dirty old man. Usually he was peeping at the hot springs, but Naruto had once found him at a nearby stream watching girls frolicking around in bikinis. Luckily, he was at his favorite spot.

"Damn it Ero-sennin, quit being a pervert and let's go start my training," Naruto yelled.

Jiraiya bolted up, grabbing the little loudmouth and dashing off at the first sign of indignant yells from the female bathers. When they reached the training ground, the Toad Sage dumped his flailing bundle in the middle of the clearing.

"What's the big idea, Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya felt the vein in his temple pulse. "Damn it gaki, I thought I told you not to interrupt my research and to quit calling me that!"

Now in Naruto's defense, he had remained respectful for three whole days, despite Jiraiya being an incorrigible letch. The last straw was when he found out that Jiraiya wrote those little orange books that Kakashi always read. Imagine the Great Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage and fuinjutsu master was an unrepentant author of porn. Therefore, Naruto, being who he was, gave him another title that he felt was much more fitting.

"I'll stop calling you Ero-sennin when you stop acting like a perv. Now can we please get on with my training?"

Jiraiya mumbled something about loudmouthed, opinionated brats who do not recognize the value of true literature before grunting, "fine". His entire demeanor changed as he became serious. "Let's see what you got kid."

Naruto grinned and got to it. Honestly, he loved this. It was the closest he could come to performing jutsu, and while he had long ago decided not to be all angsty about it, he still missed being able to pop out a bunch of shadow clones, or mess around with the Transformation Technique. Naruto shook it off and bit his left thumb, channeling chakra and wiping the blood across this seal. There was a puff of smoke and Gamakichi appeared. Naruto smiled as the little toad hopped onto a nearby stump.

"Hey bro, you gonna practice with Suiren and the twins?"

"Yep, I want to at least get used to fighting with them before the finals," Naruto replied.

The two had become fast friends in the week they had spent together. Gamakichi would sit nestled in Naruto's hair and introduce him to the toads he summoned. In this way, Naruto got to meet many of his new summons and he had built a relationship with a few of them by the end of the week. Now it was time for them to learn to fight as a unit.

Naruto once again performed the technique only this time with much more chakra. A large burst of smoke appeared as he slammed his hand on the ground, blowing away to reveal three man-sized toads. The first was four feet tall with a blue and green coloring. The other two were six and a half and seven feet tall; each was brown with green markings on their faces and backs. The shorter of the two wore a black jacket and twin hand axes tucked into a white belt, while the other wore a black samurai breastplate and a metal kanabo on his back.

The twins, Tsubusu and Gamaheki, gave Gamakichi a polite greeting. The two were the students of Gamaken, Gamabunta's brother. Like their teacher, they specialized in weapons combat. "Greetings little cousin," said Gamaheki referring to Naruto. He was the more sociable of the two. Tsubusu merely inclined his head in greeting. The brothers had decided that since they would be working with Naruto, they would adopt him.

"Gentlemen, I think it is time we begin," Suiren declared. Suiren was a nice toad but very formal and proper. She used water ninjutsu and would provide long-range support.

Naruto nodded and turned to Jiraiya as he stood with his summoned team. "You ready Ero-sennin?"

The sage stood in his stance and waved them forward. "Come on kid, show me what you got."


Sakura knelt before her temporary sensei. She thought Kakashi was bad but Ibiki was a slave driver. The pink-haired teen was sure she was nearing chakra exhaustion. She had gotten the Displacement down so that the illusion was nearly seamless and with a little more practice, she felt she could do the Temporary Paralysis Technique with just a look. As it stood now she could do it with a touch.

While Ibiki deemed her competent, he still forced her to practice until they were second nature. He also showed her the next technique on the list. The Shunshin, or Body Flicker, was a D-ranked rapid movement technique that caused the user to move at an almost untraceable speed. The most basic version, which is the one Sakura learned, covered the movement with a burst of smoke.

First Ibiki had her practice the Shunshin all morning, and then he had her practice using it with the Displacement. Sakura was skeptical when Ibiki told her the drawback to the Shunshin, namely that a high ranked or sensor type ninja could still track your chakra signature as you reappeared, but the scarred jounin assured her that the genjutsu would work to cover that weakness in most other cases.

"Come on girl, is that all you've got in you?" Ibiki jeered. "At least give me one more set. Or am I wasting my time?"

Sakura heaved herself to her feet. She would not quit, not when she had finally gained confidence in herself. Sakura eyed her mentor evilly. Sakura made a promise to herself that before the month was over, she would tag the bastard and make him acknowledge her.


"Good job Sasuke. Now you just need to practice adjusting the chakra output," Kakashi explained.

Sasuke was thrilled. After a week of pure physical training, he was finally learning ninjutsu. The one he was learning now was a defensive lightning jutsu, Static Current, which formed a bubble of lightning charka to form around the user. It was a low-level technique that could only knock an opponent unconscious but the young Uchiha felt he was finally making progress. Sasuke would listen to whatever the jounin had to say if he could only learn that technique.

Kakashi had shown Sasuke his one original technique. To say that he was impressed was an understatement. An attack that only those with a sharingan could properly use and an assassination jutsu at that. He could just imagine plunging his lightning encased hand into Itachi's black heart and watching as the life drained from his astonished face. For that, he would do anything Kakashi told him.

Sasuke shook off his daydream and got back to work. There would be no slacking. He gathered his chakra and performed the hand signs. He could feel the electricity flow across his skin before expanding out. Sasuke channeled more chakra into the field, almost feeling it intensify.

"Ready Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke nodded. This was the test, if the field could stop a thrown kunai. Kakashi's arm whipped forward in a blur, launching a kunai right at him. Sasuke could barely suppress the urge to flinch. He was not used to just standing there while people threw weapons at him. The kunai hit the field and you could see it slow visibly as it slipped through. The, thankfully, blunted kunai hit him in the shoulder and disrupted his hold on the jutsu. The electric field dropped and Sasuke rubbed his bruised shoulder.

"You almost got it that time." Kakashi smiled at his students frown. "Practice a little more and when you think you're ready, let me know and we will try it again."

Sasuke sighed to himself. He would master this and every other technique Kakashi showed him. It was only a matter of time, and maybe then, his family could be at peace.


Yamanaka Ino sat deep in thought at her kitchen table. Her mother had turned in early after a long day at the flower shop, so it was just her and her dad. Her father watched her pick at her food, her mind a million miles away. She had been like this since her defeat in the chuunin exams. Inoichi worried for his daughter, although that was not unusual. He remembered the swell of pride he felt when she decided that she would be a shinobi followed shortly by a persistent unease. It wasn't that he did not have faith in his daughter. Kami only knows his little princess had the intelligence, natural ability and determination to be an excellent ninja. Unfortunately, she could also be vain, shallow, and obstinate. Inoichi could barely suppress the urge to roll his eyes at the though of her infatuation with the Uchiha. The elder Yamanaka knew better than anyone the issues the kid had, as he was one of the three who evaluated him after the massacre.

"Daddy?"

Inoichi was drawn from his reflecting by his daughter. "Yes, princess?"

Ino looked at her father with trepidation. "Do you think that I'm weak?"

Inoichi could hear the anxiety and fear in her voice. Normally he would not hesitate to reassure her that she wasn't, but something in the way she asked made him think before he answered. He eyed her critically as he ordered his thoughts and searched for a way to phrase his judgment.

Ino felt the little food she had eaten turn into a lead ball in her gut as she waited for her father's pronouncement. She had been reflecting on that question for the last week. She was thoroughly embarrassed at the ease with which Sakura defeated her. When Asuma told her what happened she was mortified. Ino could not believe it. After all, she had been the highest ranked kunoichi in the class. Sure Sakura had higher test grades and Hinata was better at taijutsu, but overall Ino outdid them all. To lose to Sakura…she had embarrassed herself in front of her team, her former classmates, and of course Sasuke.

Inoichi cleared his throat, catching her attention. "Alright Ino, since you asked, I'm going to be brutally honest. You have let your training lapse due to your obsession with that boy. You diet when you should be eating good, well-balanced meals and you have let your physical conditioning fall to the wayside. You have not bothered to learn more than the most basic of our family techniques and from what I can tell you have not studied since you graduated the academy. You are bossy, arrogant, shallow, and spoiled."

Inoichi wanted to hold his daughter like he used to, even as he stared stonily at her. She could barely meet his eyes and her eyes glistened with unshed tears at his harsh criticism. He finally relented and softening his features he continued. "That being said, you have the potential to be an amazing kunoichi. You are smart, charismatic, and possess great skill with the few techniques that you have learned. Most of all, you have an amazing natural ability to read people, when you bother to use it."

Ino used his praise to pick up the tattered remains of her self-confidence. "So what does that mean, daddy? How can I get stronger? I want to be better than this."

"What that means is that you have a lot of work to do," Inoichi explained. "The life of a ninja is uncertain. The best way to survive is to constantly hone your abilities and to trust and rely on your teammates. In turn, they have to be able to rely on you." Inoichi sighed. "I guess I'm partly to blame for this. You're my sweet little girl and I've let that cloud my judgment. I've spoiled you and let you have your way even when I went against my better judgment. I kept hoping that you would find your way but I neglected to guide you. It doesn't help that there are few kunoichi in the clan that you are close to. With your mom being a civilian, you lack a strong female role model."

Inoichi saw the girl's face cloud up at the implied insult so he swiftly headed her off. "No offense to your mother. She is a strong woman and kami knows she even scares me sometimes, but she is not a shinobi. Every young ninja needs someone to look up to. An example of the kind of shinobi they wish to be. As much as I would love for that to be me, I just don't think mine is the path for you." The last thing he wanted was for his princess to be working with T&I and doing psych evaluations. He shuddered at the thought. "No, you have to find your own example, the ninja you can look to and say, that is who I want to be."

Ino thought about what her father said. Maybe he had a point. She really hadn't spent much time training. While she could lay some of the blame at the feet of her perpetually laid back sensei, the bulk lied solely at her own feet. After all, she could have asked for more training, if not from him then from her father. "What do I do, daddy? I want to be stronger. I'm… I'm not proud of who I am becoming. I want to be better."

Inoichi had already made up his mind. "If you're serious about this, well, I have a few favors I can call in. I think I can arrange to go in late and leave early. Give me a week to clear up my schedule and then for the next two weeks after that we can focus on your training for a few hours every morning and afternoon. I am going to warn you now; if we do this I will not go easy on you. I think that you have been coddled enough. It's high time for you to take being a ninja seriously and I'm going to work you harder than you have ever been worked before. Understand Ino, I can get you started but you have to truly want this. Do you accept those terms?"

Ino wiped her eyes and looked up at the expectant face of her father. "Hai, daddy, I'm ready. Like Fore… Sakura said, it's time for me to grow up. I'm going to show everybody just how great a kunoichi I can be." Ino hurriedly finished the rest of her dinner and rushed upstairs. She had a lot of thinking to do.


The following morning, Naruto had just finished his awareness training and stood ready for Akisame to begin. Akisame stood in front of his pupil with his hands clasped behind his back and began his lecture. "Now it is time for you to learn the mechanics of the Shadow Dance. While the concept of what I am about to show you is simple, believe me when I say the execution is not. You must learn to disappear from your opponent's sight right before their eyes and remain in their blind spot. To do this you have to learn to read and react instantly to every move they make. If you misread or are slow to react," Akisame pulled a wood switch from behind his back, "the consequences can be… painful."

Naruto eyed the switch and gulped. He knew his teacher had his best interest at heart but sometimes the man seemed to enjoy his discomfort more than was strictly necessary. For instance, the way he was swinging that switch around, ostensibly testing its strength and flexibility but more likely just to terrify his young apprentice.

"Come now," Akisame said, shaking Naruto from his musing. "For the next two hours, I am going to move about the house and yard attending to various chores. Your task is to shadow my every move and to remain outside my sightline. Every time I see you, you get one whack with the switch so for your sake, try to remain hidden."


Two hours later and Naruto would have been covered in bruises but for the accelerated healing from the fox. Akisame would strike swiftly at the merest glimpse of Naruto. The good news was that Naruto slowly started to get the hang of the exercise. Luckily he was used to contorting his body in awkward positions, because some of the ways he had to bend and move to stay out of sight would have most people in spasms. Naruto admittedly was enjoying himself at the end, once he stopped getting swatted so much. He felt like that cartoon rabbit who was always messing with that stuttering hunter. Naruto grinned at the thought as it appealed to his mischievous prankster nature.

Akisame called a halt to the exercise and had him wash up. When Naruto returned, his sensei was standing by the door waiting for him.

"Where we going sensei?"

"Ah, as part of your training, we will go out to eat. I want you to observe the people around you, particularly the shinobi. Watch how they move and how their muscles shift with every motion. Take note of how their movements cause their shadows to shift. These are all important to mastering the Shadow Dance."

The duo entered a small restaurant and placed their orders. They ate in silence as Naruto watched the people pass by. Even in the midst of his training, Naruto was mulling over some things he had been thinking about for a while. After almost a half hour of silence, he addressed his teacher. "Ano, sensei, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Akisame looked at him over the edge of his teacup. "Of course, Naru-chan."

"What kind of ninja were you? I don't mean rank or anything, I mean, what was your specialty. One of the things I learned was that most ninja tend to specialize, so what was yours?"

Akisame smiled at him. "Hm, how about we see how well your observational skills are coming along. You tell me, what kind of shinobi was I? What do you think my specialty was?"

Naruto only took a second before he responded. "Well I can only guess but, I don't think you were a combat specialist. I don't know what techniques you do know but the Shadow Eel style is not a confrontational style and it does not make it easy to use close range jutsu. On the other hand, it also keeps you too close to use long-range attacks, so that rules out long range offensive jutsu. The style itself just feels more like something a spy or assassin would use." Akisame nodded his head encouragingly.

"Then too, I remember when you were telling me about how you got injured when you had to retire. On the surface it sounded like you could have just ran across that Iwa ambush while traveling or on patrol, but some things kept nagging at me and I finally figured out what it was. Little details, like how you mentioned ambush sites as in more than one. Or how you escaped the ambush in the first place. Better yet, how did you find out about the ambush to start with. The whole point of an ambush is to not be noticed until it's too late. It seems more likely that you knew about the ambushes already and you got discovered before you could relay the intel."

Akisame laughed and patted Naruto on the back. "Very good Naru-chan. You are right, I was an infiltration specialist. One of my favorite covers was as a musician or painter. That particular time, I had been posing as a musician at a Kusa inn in a town occupied by Iwa, eavesdropping on conversations and relaying any pertinent intel. I heard rumor of a big operation, so snuck into the local outpost where I discovered orders about the ambushes. Of course I had to verify, so I went to take a look for myself.

Unfortunately, by pure chance, I got spotted on the way out by a ninja who frequented the inn and he recognized me. I took him out but not before he raised the alarm. I as able to escape but not before I got injured. The good thing was, Iwa wasn't able to get word to the ambush parties before we were able to take them out."

"Wow, that's was cool sensei. Do you ever regret being injured and having to retire?"

Akisame could see that the boy was equating their experiences. "While there are times I do miss being a shinobi, I take comfort in the fact that what I did may very well have saved the lives of my comrades. That more than anything else allows me to be at peace. Besides, in all the time I spent using art as a cover, I developed a true enjoyment that has lasted me throughout my retirement. I was also able to spend more time with my daughter, something that I had always wished I could do more of. All in all, it was an even trade I think."

The two spent the rest of their time in companionable silence, watching the people go by.


It wasn't until midway through the following week that Naruto had a breakthrough in his awareness training. He was already becoming adept at shadowing people by that time. He had taken to doing it as a game. He would pick a random person out of a crowd and see how long and how closely he could shadow them without being discovered. The civilians were easy and he got bored with them in a couple of days. The shinobi were the true challenge. More than once he got ran off by an irate chuunin and he even got stopped by an ANBU who wanted to know what he was up to. He was called into the Sandaime's office to explain himself, noting in passing that the old man had been in a meeting with Jiraiya, Ibiki, and Nara Shikaku.

The third merely chuckled at Naruto's explanation of his antics and simply told him not to get caught bothering his shinobi. Naruto took it as a challenge. After all, the old man said not to get caught. He was still reported twice after that.

None of that mattered as Naruto sat that Thursday morning. He was well into the first hour of his awareness training and it required constant meditation to keep his frustration from overcoming him. Naruto had not felt this much exasperation in trying to learn since his academy days. While he had experienced some minor improvement, it was slow in coming. With just under a week and a half left to train, he was worried that he would not grasp the skill in time. More importantly, he could not help but feel as if he was letting his sensei down.

This of course triggered buried fears in the ambitious genin. He remembered what it was like, the constant desire to be one of the crowd, to want that acceptance, while at the same time shut off from everyone and hiding behind a smile so they could not see his pain. It was in the midst of these fleeting thoughts that it happened. One second he was struggling to draw in his presence and the next it flowed into his, surrounding him like a second skin.

Akisame, who had been meditating in front of him, snapped his eyes open. "You've done it Naru-chan!"

Naruto was so excited that he lost that feeling and the shell collapsed. Akisame briefly felt a warm sense of exultation that vanished shortly thereafter. "Tell me, what you were thinking about. How did you feel exactly?"

Naruto closed his eyes tightly, trying to recapture what he was feeling. His answer was slow to come and when it did he spoke hesitantly. "I was feeling frustrated. I did not want to let you down and it reminded me of when I couldn't learn stuff in the academy. I remembered how I felt so alone, how I wanted people to acknowledge me. I hated it, having to hide the pain of being alone, but I wouldn't let them see me hurt. Not anymore.

Akisame smiled sadly at the boy. No one with as much heart as Naruto should have ever had to feel that way, but in some respects that pain was his greatest strength. "Naruto what you just described is exactly how this technique works. You must reach out to sense your surroundings like you reached out for acceptance, while drawing in your presence like you did to hide your pain. If you can learn to do that you will be well on your way to attaining the technique."

Naruto's eyes widened and he returned to the exercise with a renewed sense of purpose. He would learn it and master it. Believe it.


Yamanaka Inoichi as proud of his daughter. He had been training her for a week now. Everyday they would wake up at five in the morning and commence a grueling training regimen designed to increase stamina, speed, and agility. Inoichi ran his daughter ragged for three hours straight, then he left her with scrolls of the family's secret techniques to study.

After he returned home from work at four, he would review the material and work with her on learning the jutsu for two hours before again running her into the ground. Ino never complained once through the ordeal even though she went to bed tired and sore. Ino had not touched her beauty products since the training started, she barely even bothered to wash her hair.

At one point on the third day, Ino's mother tried to step in, saying that Inoichi was pushing her to hard, but Ino told her in no uncertain terms that she asked for this and would never forgive her if she disrupted her training.

Inoichi called a halt to that days drills and Ino staggered up to him, albeit with more energy than she had on the first few days. "Good job Ino. Why don't you get washed up? Your mother should have dinner ready."

"Ok daddy," Ino replied. "Oh, I have good news. I think I found my role model."

Inoichi's interest was peaked. He didn't even know she had started looking for one yet. "let me guess, is it Yuuhi Kurenai?"

Ino shook her head. "No daddy, I thought about her, but I don't think she is quite my style. I found somebody way cooler. When I first met her I thought she was kind of creepy but I did some checking on her. She is really strong and even a lot of the male ninja are scared of her. Her fashion sense is a little more daring than I would try but I can't fault her style. But it's her attitude that I like the most. She has this whole 'I'm hot, I know it, and if you mess with me I will wreck you' sexy badass thing going on."

Inoichi felt tingles of increasing dread as he listened to the description. She could not possibly be talking about her could she? "Um, Ino, princess, who exactly are you talking about?"

Ino looked at him quizzically then rolled her eyes. Really, her dad could be a little overprotective at times. She could tell he was worried so she decided to put his mind at ease. "Don't worry daddy. I met her in the second exam, she was the proctor. Her name is Mitarashi Anko." Ino heard a thud and looked over to see her father lying prone on the ground. "Daddy? Daddy what's wrong? Mom help, dad has collapsed!"

Inoichi never heard this because, on hearing his daughter's choice of a role model, he promptly fainted.


A lone figure strode down the darkened hall. He moved through a door into a vast chamber supported by a ring of columns. Yakushi Kabuto knelt before the throne of his master.

"Have you made any progress in finding the location of Sasuke?" Orochimaru inquired.

Kabuto frowned, unsure as to ho well his lord would take the news. "Unfortunately no, Orochimaru-sama. No one seems to know where Hatake has taken the boy and I believe my cover may have been blown by my checking into his whereabouts."

Orochimaru smiled condescendingly. "No matter, I will simply take him after I dispose of my former sensei. Don't worry about your cover. Stay in the village, I need you as my representative to the Suna-nin. Should Konoha move to capture you, then you may leave. Now go"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." As Kabuto made his way out he heard the Snake Sannin whisper, "Soon old man you will pay for your crimes against me."


Late Sunday morning found Naruto strolling aimlessly through the village. He had spent the early part of the morning puttering around his apartment, cleaning and tending to his plants. He had a few hours to kill as he wasn't going to meet Hinata until lunch. After a few minutes he sighed and turned around.

"How many times do I have to tell you, rocks aren't square," he said in an exasperated tone of voice.

The cardboard box in the middle of the street shook and a burst of smoke billowed from underneath. In between choking coughs a young voice said, "You used too much flash powder."

The smoke cleared to reveal the Konohamaru corps in all their juvenile glory. "Hiya Boss, are we going to play ninja today?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto decided to mess with his protégés. He stood stroking his chin with a contemplative look on his face.

"Aww, come on boss. We hardly ever see you," Konohamaru complained.

"Yeah, no one else plays with us," Udon added.

"Please Naruto-niichan?" Moegi begged.

Naruto chuckled. Even if he hadn't been inclined to spend time with them, he could not resist their pleading, especially with Moegi making those sad puppy dog eyes at him. "Alright you three, lets head to the park."

There was an instant chorus of "yeah" before the trio took of with Konohamaru yelling back, "You're it Boss,".

Naruto loped lazily after them as they turned the corner. When he heard their sudden yells, he raced to catch up.

Naruto turned the corner to see Konohamaru in the grip of the make-up wearing ninja from Suna. Udon was on his butt staring up at him in fear with Moegi frozen behind him.

"Little brats like you should watch where you are going," the Suna nin growled.

"Let go of me you jerk," Konohamaru yelled as he flailed around trying to get away. "Wait until the Boss gets here, he'll show you!"

"Come on Kankuro, let's just go. We have things to do and you don't want Gaara to catch you," said the bored looking blonde next to him.

"It won't take but a second. I just want to show this uppity runt…"

"I suggest you put my friend down," Naruto interjected. Kankuro was visibly startled though he tried to hide it. He never even saw the blond walk up. His sister Temari just shook her head.

Kankuro eyed Naruto up and down. "You think you can make me punk?"

Temari looked Naruto over then told her brother, "That's the kid from the exam. You know, the one who beat the Inuzuka."

While she was talking, Naruto was attempting something he had only just started practicing. "Ok," he thought, "let's give this a shot." He relaxed and extended his awareness.

Kankuro smirked at him. "Yeah I remember. Why don't you try taking on a real shinobi?"

Naruto smiled at him. "Ok," he said, and then raced forward.

Kankuro thrust Konohamaru in front of him to use as a shield but Naruto simply planted his left foot and spun around between him and Temari, startling them both. As Kankuro turned around to try to keep track of him he felt a sharp pain in the arm holding the kid. He turned back to see Naruto spin around, placing Konohamaru behind him.

"What the hell? Oh that is it, I'm going to end this now. I don't have to worry about the exam, I'm already out." Kankuro yanked his concealed puppet off of his back, preparing to fight.

"You might want to reconsider," Naruto replied, "seeing as how you just assaulted the grandson of the Hokage. Besides, I think your other teammate who's been hiding in that tree might not like it."

Both Suna teens turned around wide-eyed as Gaara appeared in a swirl of sand. He gave his brother a hard look as he said, "Stop this foolishness now before I kill you."

Kankuro gulped. "Sure Gaara, I was just messing around. Isn't that right Temari?"

Temari gave him a dark look before agreeing with him. "That's right Gaara, you know how big an idiot Kankuro is."

Gaara looked over to Naruto who stared back. "You are Uzumaki Naruto yes?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that's me. I remember you too, Sabaku no Gaara," he said in an even tone.

"Maybe we will meet in the finals then. Show me your strength Uzumaki so that I can prove my existence," Gaara said as he led his siblings away.

Kankuro looked back at him shepherding his three charges away and muttered, "How the hell did he know Gaara was there?"

Gaara surprised them by saying, "There is something different about him. Mother cries out for his blood." The Temari and Kankuro both shuddered, knowing what fate awaited the blond nin.


Naruto walked back to his apartment contemplating his day. After encountering the sand siblings, he took the three shook up academy students out for ice cream. They then went to the park where they played ninja tag, hoping to take their mind off the earlier unpleasantness.

He met Hinata for lunch as planned. She was surprisingly reserved when the medic told her she would be able to go home soon. Naruto wondered at her lack of excitement to be going home but decided not to pry. They talked some more and played cards to pass the time. All too soon, the nurse entered to tell them visiting hours were ending. Naruto bid her good night and headed home.

Naruto smiled at the memory. It was nice having a friend. Sure Sakura and Sasuke were cool but they were also his team. They spent so much time together that it was hard to find things to talk about sometimes. It was nice to have someone new to talk with and to hear their stories.

Naruto sat on his bed with his books on sealing. There were only one more week until the finals and he still needed some more input from Jiraiya about his latest project.


"Crap, look out Suiren!" Naruto shouted.

"Water Release: Liquid Bullet." Suiren countered the fireball with the water technique as Tsubusu and Gamaheki both attacked the wily old ninja.

Jiraiya dodged to the side to avoid Tsubusu's kanabo as it crashed to the ground and leaped over Gamaheki's sideswipe with his axes. Naruto appeared from behind Tsubusu hoping to get behind the sage while he was focused on the other toad. As Jiraiya landed, Naruto went for a kidney strike only to have it batted aside by the older nin who simultaneously side kicked Gamaheki away.

Naruto tucked into a backwards roll and came out into a back flip. "Suiren, combo three." When the toad heard Naruto's call she immediately used the Violent Water Wave Technique, which Jiraiya dodged, soaking the ground in the process.

Jiraiya knew something was up when the to larger toads leaped away. Not taking any chances, he followed suit, leaving the ground right as three tagged kunai hit the water and a discharge sent electricity arcing through the puddle of water.

"I just had to teach him to make stronger shock tags and explosive notes," Jiraiya lamented. "Alright kid, that's enough for now." Over all he was pleased with Naruto's progress. He was working well with the toads and they had developed a few strategies that allowed them to work together as well as any rookie genin team.

Naruto thanked the toads and dismissed them. He wandered over to sit besides his teacher under a nearby tree. Naruto drank deeply from a water bottle. Who knew such an old fart could be so spry?

"So how are your little projects coming along?" Jiraiya asked.

"Great," Naruto replied enthusiastically. "I got the two trap tags down perfect, and the advice you gave me for the smoke bombs really helped. I should be ready for the finals in time."

Jiraiya tussled his hair, drawing a squawk of indignation. "Look kid," he said in a serious tone, "you've come really far. Much farther than most genin in your situation could ever have come. That's why I'm worried.

You have a lot of potential and I would hate to see it go to waste if you don't win. I hear that Hyuuga brat is one of the best they have seen in a generation. Just don't let it get you down if you lose to him. Just so you know, win or lose, I'm proud of you kid."

Naruto looked up at the darkening sky. He understood what Jiraiya was saying although he still did not like hearing it. "You know Ero-sennin, I know that you all worry about me and I appreciate it, in a way I kind of like it. I mean, if you worry about me it means you care, right?" Naruto smiled softly at the big man. "But I have to prove that I can do this. I can beat Neji and I can be a ninja even with my limitations. So just you watch, Uzumaki Naruto won't back down, I'm going to win and teach that jerk a lesson he'll never forget."

Jiraiya let out a boisterous laugh. "You know what gaki? I believe you. I think I actually feel sorry for that Hyuuga kid or anyone else dumb enough to stand in your way."


Sasuke felt a moment of exhilaration as he stared at his handy work. The large boulder had an eight inch deep crack that extended over two feet across its surface. After days of training, he had finally performed all three techniques to Kakashi's satisfaction.

Kakashi patted his students shoulder as he looked over his progress. "Good job, Sasuke. We'll work on your speed until it's time to head back."

Sasuke glanced over at the one eyed nin as he read his ever present book. "Sensei, can I ask you a question?" Kakashi peeked up at him and nodded. "How did you get that sharingan?"

Kakashi closed his book and stared out into space. He sat quiet for while and just as Sasuke started to say something he spoke.

"Uchiha Obito was my teammate. We didn't get along very well. I thought he was an annoying, loudmouth, screw up and he thought I was an uptight asshole. He was right. Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash. That was what he taught me."

Kakashi reached up, brushing the forehead protector that canted down to cover his eye. "I won't go into detail but by the time I learned that lesson it was too late. I lost my eye and Obito was killed. He gave me this eye as proof of our bond, our friendship and to protect our other teammate, Rin. I use this eye to honor his sacrifice by protecting the village, but I would trade it all away to get him back. Some prices are too high Sasuke."

Sasuke left him sitting there staring off into space. He had much to think over.


Sakura knew this was her last chance. Ibiki told he that this would be their last day together as he had things to over see for the finals. With only four more days until the exams resumed, that left her just enough time to put her plan into effect.

Ibiki stood waiting for her to make a move. "Are you getting cold feet girl? It would be nice if you attacked sometime today, if not I have other matters I could attend too."

Sakura refused to let the scar faced bastard taunt her into a premature attack. One of the things he had taught her was how getting your opponent angry or flustered threw them off their game. Of course he did it by demonstrating on her, but after the first few painful lessons she had quickly adapted.

She let his jibes flow over her, waiting for that perfect moment… there! Sakura's hands blurred through seals and she disappeared in a burst of smoke only to reappear right behind him. Ibiki whirled to block her punch and countered with a knife hand to her stomach. Sakura bent with the hit, taking he blow in order to jab his arm. "Temporary Paralysis Technique."

Ibiki froze up, unable to move. Sakura never knew how long Ibiki would stay under the effects of the jutsu since he like to vary the time, but she knew it wouldn't last long. She leaped away while hurling a double handful of shuriken. Ibiki moved just in time to dodge and see the girl disappear once more. She reappeared right in front of him, but Ibiki simply punched right through the image. He smiled when Sakura was not three feet behind the genjutsu as she would have been with the Displacement.

He felt a slight prick at his back. "I got you Ibiki-san," Sakura exclaimed, still holding the kunai to his back.

Ibiki stood once the pressure disappeared. "You used a bunshin instead of Displacement. You used my expectations against me. Good work."

Sakura beamed with pride. "Well you never said I could only use what you taught me. Besides, I promised myself that I would get you at least once before my training was over."

"Not bad, I wondered if you would figure it out. Use all the tools at your disposal to accomplish your objective." Ibiki turned away from her. "Good luck in the finals, remember to use what I taught you."

"Thank you Ibiki-sensei, for everything" she called as he walked away.


Jiraiya, Ibiki and Nara Shikaku met in the Sandaime's office for their final planning session. Hiruzen knocked out his pipe and leaned back in his chair. "Alright gentlemen, is there any new information? Have you finalized the plans for the exams?"

Ibiki spoke first. "Still no concrete evidence as to who killed Hayate but as he was following Yakushi Kabuto, I'm almost certain he was involved. I have some suspicions but nothing I can back up. Per your request, I have drafted new security protocols for the finals. Each team will check in with me to receive a sign and countersign the morning of the exams. Anyone not able to give the recognition code will be detained. I have been conferring with Shikaku and we have come up with a system where a few of the jounin and chuunin will be on standby in key positions to assist should it become necessary. Shikaku?"

Shikaku lifted his head from his hands. "There will be twelve units consisting of a jounin and two chuunin. All personnel will have radios to call in back up. Each ANBU team will check in at ten minute intervals. Should any team radio for help or fail to check in, then two of the nearest units will move to assist or investigate."

Sarutobi nodded. "What about you, Jiraiya? Any signs of Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Nothing definite, but I have come across some information that we need to discuss in private. Other than that, I'll stick around to see how far the gaki goes. I have high hopes for the kid."

"As do I," Sarutobi responded. "Very well, everything seems to be well in hand. Shikaku, Ibiki, I will see you later. Jiraiya you stay."

Shikaku and Ibiki made their way out of the office. Once the door was locked, Sarutobi activated the privacy seal.

"What have you found Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya leaned against the wall and gazed out of the window. "Tell me sensei, have you ever heard of Akatsuki?"


It was finally time. Naruto felt a kind of high as he prepared to leave for the stadium. It was time to prove his worth as a shinobi in front of everyone. He would succeed, there were no other options.

Naruto left his apartment and headed to the stadium. He weaved through the throng before deciding to take to the roof tops. He channeled chakra to his legs and took off in a blur of motion. He would have to thank Akisame again for showing him that trick. It wasn't the Body Flicker but it did work to give him quick burst of speed.

He dropped down once he reached the last house and made his way through the trees. He was nearly through the stadium entrance when he saw Hinata standing off to the side with a nervous look on her face. Naruto peeled of to go check on his friend.

"Whats up Hinata-chan?"

Hinata jumped and turned bright red when she saw it was him. "H-hello Naruto-kun. C-can I talk to you for a minute?"

Naruto frowned. He realized a while ago that Hinata stuttered when she was nervous, but she had not done that with since the second day they had hung out. "Sure Hinata-chan," he said as he led her off to the side. "What's this sabout?"

Hinata took a breath and looked into his eyes. "It's about the division between the Main and Branch families of the Hyuuga, Neji-niisan's pain and why he hates the members of the Main family."


A/N: Next chapter is the finals! I tried to strike a balance between showing the training and saving some surprises for the fights. I hope you enjoyed it. How do you like Ino's choice of role models? I think that it fits well with her personality. The ripples of change are growing and will grow further still.

Next chapter probably won't be up until just prior to Christmas. I intend to do all the fights in one chapter before the invasion commences. With that said I will see you next time.