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Title: For the Love of My Friends
Chapter 36: Those Who Honor Their Loved Ones
Rating: Mature

They had to get to the meeting place by noon. Naruto, with the grace and skill of a fox, managed to evade Kakashi when he started to ask questions, just as the jonin promised he would.

"I'm training under Jiraiya!" Naruto had said quickly, before Kakashi could finish his question. It was a bit suspicious, but the jonin figured that he'd ask Jiraiya and see if it was true later.

And train under Jiraiya was what Naruto did, during the last half of the day before. They had started to working out the kinks in his chakra control, which were still there. Naruto had no concept of the meaning of 'conservation', having the insanely dangerous habit of pouring large amounts of chakra into whatever he was doing, no matter how little chakra there was to be needed. It was only because of the Kyuubi and his own unnatural amount of stamina that he hadn't been seriously hurt the first time around.

Naruto begged and pleaded, even teased a little, to try and get Jiraiya to 'teach' him the rasengan. The frog hermit relented, showing him how it was done and telling him the first step in understanding how it worked, with a promise that they would work more on it after the first two parts of the Chuunin Exam. Naruto, of course, promptly made a bet that he could figure out how the attack worked by the next time he saw Jiraiya. Was his gambling streak a bad habit that had rubbed off from Tsunade? Probably as much as Jiraiya's habit of cheating.

All of Naruto's screw ups had been somewhat fixed except for one big major goof.. as long as nobody mentioned dates, or said goof, he was in the clear.

If Kakashi asked about the rasengan, Jiraiya would say that Naruto was in the beginning stages of mastering it. Not really understanding the rasengan all that well to notice the difference between a mastered rasengan and one that was barely kept together, he'd mention that he thought that Naruto was doing really well with his training.

If Kakashi asked about the summoning jutsu, which he could have only known about if he guessed that the 'monster frog' that Tazuna mumbled about was a summon, Jiraiya would say that Naruto had already mastered the technique.

If Kakashi asked about Shunshin no Jutsu.. Naruto was screwed. No amount of teasing, pleading, or bribing could pry the frog hermit's prized student's jutsu out of his mouth. The only excuse that Naruto could make is that he had heard of the Fourth's jutsu and tried to replicate it, but even that perfectly reasonable lie was stretching it. He had, the first time around, started to receive beginning training on how to properly perform Shunshin no Jutsu, but Jiraiya had died before the rest of the training was complete. Naruto's version of Shunshin no Jutsu was purely his own, touch-and-go version based on the basics he learned, and in his own honest opinion, inferior to the late Yondaime's original body flicker technique.

Naruto stretched, staring at the village below him from a high perch on one of the stores. It was only around ten o'clock. He had time before he had to meet up with his team. A written test, a survival test, and a one-on-one battle. Give or take that one-on-one battle if there isn't enough people for the preliminaries. All of that was going to happen within the next week.

I guess I really don't have to worry about the written test. The tenth question is the only one that matters. The prelims and the final exam, no problem at all. But the survival exam.. Naruto frowned, his fist clenching when he remembered Orochimaru. How are we going dodge him? He did have some insane, half assed ideas how to sneak Sasuke past Orochimaru's eye, some involving Naruto as a decoy, a mere punching bag for Orochimaru to knock around, while others involved an experiment to see if Orochimaru was as hot blooded about naked women as his old team mate by using, of course, his infamous Sexy no Jutsu. Somehow, he doubted if the latter would work.

"Hey." Naruto turned sharply around, having been too deep in his thoughts to realize that someone had been behind him. Shikamaru, his arms crossed and looking sour, sat next to him. "You really are troublesome."

Naruto blinked. It was such a common Shikamaru saying that it took a minute for him to realize that it wasn't a greeting, but a reluctant statement that hinted at the hell Shikamaru had been through due to Naruto's designs. He then smirked. "Couldn't stop thinking about it, could ya?" Naruto said lightly, eyes dancing with mischief. Shikamaru grimly shook his head. "Want me to tell you more?" Still grim, he nodded.

"Okay, let's start with something recent.. Ah, I know. I'll tell you what to expect for the Chuunin Exam." Naruto pulled his legs up and shifted them underneath him. "The Chuunin Exam consists of three parts: A written test, a survival exam, and one-on-one fights between those who are left. The written test is full of questions that, theoretically, only chuunins can answer. Go figure. Thus, it is not really a test of knowledge, it is a test of how well you can cheat." He pouted, remembering that he hadn't realized that he was supposed to cheat until Ibiki had told them that he was.

"Information gathering.." Shikamaru muttered. "Let me guess. Those who cheat in a noticeable way are kicked out?"

"Nope. They are docked points. If they run out of points, then they get kicked out." Naruto replied, trying to remember the intensely complicated rules that Ibiki had wrote on the board. "Oh well.. anyway, the real exam winner is the last question. It's a do or die, fight or flight sorta thing. Just ignore everything the examiner says and stay in the room, no matter what."

"And then?" the shadow user asked.

"And then, Anko will come in. Shattering glass and all. She's really creepy. She'll take us to training ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death for our survival exam. Heh.." Naruto started to get nostalgic. "We had to train there before we became jonins, but instead of a week, we had a month. Kiba started calling it training ground 666."

Shikamaru frowned. He was really started to regret that he promised his team that he would enter himself in the Chuunin Exam. "What is the objective?"

"It's a kinda.. capture the flag sorta thing, except a lot more deadly. You have to get these heaven and earth scrolls-well, you kinda have one already, you just have to get the other one- and get to the tower in the middle in five days, without losing a team member, looking in the scrolls till you reach the tower, and without leaving the training area." Naruto's voice changed from somewhat hyper to a lower, more somber tone. Shikamaru noticed.

"What's wrong? Did something bad happen then?" That was all the prompting Naruto needed to spill his worries. He told Shikamaru about everything that happened in the forest, from being nearly cut off from his chakra, to Orochimaru and his disguise, to Sasuke being bitten and Sakura having to fight off the Sound, with help from Lee, Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru himself.

"And I know everything will end better if Sasuke doesn't get bitten, but I don't know how we can avoid the freaky b*****d!"

"Is Orochimaru poisonous?" Shikamaru asked, a bit confused. Irritated, Naruto shook his head.

"No. When he bites someone, they get this thing called a cursed seal. It makes the victim able to tap into Orochimaru's power and to also transform into.. a sorta demonic like being. But it corrupts people's minds into thinking exactly like him. The most loyal jonin could easily turn into an enemy, if under the cursed seal's influence." Naruto sighed, his hand absently going over his chest where once, his best friend ran him through with a chidori, under the influence of his cursed seal. "Sasuke left the village to seek out Orochimaru and his power, his mind corrupted so that he thought that the most important thing in the world was defeating his brother, where now, an uncorrupted Sasuke might give up his revenge if steered in the right direction."

Sasuke betrayed the village! was all Shikamaru could think. The perfect Uchiha joined the dark side! It was almost harder to swallow than Konoha falling to invaders.

"Why did -does- Orochimaru want Sasuke anyway?" he had to ask. "He's not that great.." Naruto smirked, glad that someone in the village shared his opinion.

"Eh, I think it had something to do with the sharingan. You know, the Uchiha blood limit that copies almost everything that it sees. Orochimaru has this way of.. putting himself in other people's bodies. So if he has Sasuke and puts himself into his body.. Orochimaru would have the sharingan." Naruto muttered, not happy about that prospect.

"That can't be sanitary.." Shikamaru said, prompting another smile from the somber blond.

"Anyway, there's the one-on-one battles next. There will be preliminaries if too many people make it past the second test, so try to conserve your energy. And then, a month after that, there's the final exam, where all the people who make it fight each other and a bunch of stuck up politicians watch." Naruto finished. He sighed, just realizing how much work there was ahead of him, not just the survival exam. Then he flinched, suddenly remembering his appointment with his team. "Ugh.. I should go. General Sakura ordered me to show up in thirty minutes for a 'pep talk'." He made a disgusted sound and stood. Shikamaru waited until Naruto was a couple of feet away before addressing the real reason why he had come.

"Hey, Naruto. I still don't believe you." he said, an unreadable look on his face. His hands were curved in his infamous thinking pose. I need a sharp mind, I need your mind, Shika. Naruto's words from the night before came back to him. You may be ten years younger than the Shika I remember but at least he always steered me in the right direction. Can you do the same? It was strange, how much Naruto seemed to respect his opinion. Never before had someone placed so much value on what he thought. It was just only recently that his own team began to notice his skills at being a strategist, and started to suggest that he make up different types of battle formations to increase their chances of success. Shikamaru liked those types of things, they were like little mental games that he could tweak to his own desires. But, they were still just games. Naruto seemed to want his opinion in a real life situation. That, even though he was still in the mind set that Naruto was playing a prank, made Shikamaru nervous.

Naruto turned around, scowling. Shikamaru sighed, giving the blond what he wanted. "But.. Keep to the highest tree branches. Stay silent and stealthy. Suppress your chakra at all times, and if possible, send copies of your teams out in all directions to evade any pursuers. Go for the second scroll when you are close to the tower. And most important of all.. don't stop unless you're exhausted." Naruto's scowl melted. He looked uncertain, but then he realized what Shikamaru was doing: Giving him a logical order to evade Orochimaru, even though he still didn't believe Naruto. He slowly smiled, his eyes showing more thanks than he could put into words.

"Thank you, Shika.."


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The bathroom was cold, impersonal. Just like the rest of his apartment. The only sign of life was the stupid comic that Naruto drew on his bedroom wall some time ago. In permanent ink. Stupid idiotic dobe..
Sasuke glared at his reflection. Mirror Sasuke glared back, his face a shade paler because of the lighting. Clad in a over sized black shirt that he had fished out of the back of his closet, black shorts, and the arm guards that Naruto had given him a while ago as a late birthday gift, as well as his normal ninja accessories, he looked ready for battle. Well, Kakashi had said to come prepared..

There was one more thing Sasuke had to make sure he had in his arsenal. He braced his hands on the counter, his eyes closing and his face contorted into a concentrating frown. He reached inside himself, tugging at the tendril of chakra, pulling at it till.. His eyes warmed, started to ache.

He opened his eyes to stare directly into a pair of immature sharingan eyes, the red offsetting his entire appearance while giving an unnatural glow as the two comma marks in each eye seemed to swirl. He smirked at his reflection. Mirror Sasuke smirked back, just as prideful.

Kakashi had come around a few days before and informed him that, yes, Sasuke had tapped into his blood limit while in the Wave Country, yes, he'd eventually train him how to use it, and no, he didn't want a kunai shoved up in unpleasant places for not telling Sasuke earlier.

Sasuke found that he was getting to be impatient, a nasty habit that Naruto must have knocked into him, and decided to teach himself. It was a long and laborious task, but, after three days, he could finally call it to surface.

Everything was so clear! He could see the small lines in the counter, the bumps in the walls.. Everything was brighter! The shadows were nearly nonexistent, the light beat on his sensitive eyes.

Covering them for a moment, he turned the light off and stumbled out of the bathroom. In the somewhat dim lights of his living room, he felt some relief.

Fascinated at how different things looked through his new eyes, he took special care in looking over the things he took granted. He wandered in his room, took a moment to scowl at the comic(like the idiot would ever beat him!), then looked over the few personal things he had in his room.

The painted Uchiha crest stood out even more, making Sasuke wince in guilt. Here he was, like a simpleton, walking around and looking at things when he should be training..

This kinda is like training.. a inner voice whispered to him. He ignored it in favor of the picture sitting by his bed. He picked it up, looking down at the only three people in Konoha that he cared about.

Sasuke looked at himself, an eyebrow quirking up at the strange look on his face. He looked unfriendly with his mocking look at someone beyond the camera. If he remembered correctly, he had been refusing a date with the cameraman's assistant. Did he really look that mean? It was with pride that he observed it, not guilt. The patented Uchiha glare could still scare the crowds.. if only the crowds were of normal citizens instead of rabid fan girls who'd think his glare was cute, or something as dumb as that. Really, half of those girls needed a brain transplant, one that removed all of the bubbles from their head.

Naruto, in typical fashion, grinned at the camera and flashed the cameraman a thumbs up. His mouth was open, as he had been arguing with the man the second he took the picture, his eyes flashing in defiance. "You'll see!" Sasuke remembered Naruto ranting, "I'll be the Rokudaime, and then I'll fire your a**!"

Sasuke always wondered why Naruto always said 'Rokudaime' instead of 'Godaime'. It wasn't something that he always lingered on(he had better things to do than to be a Naruto groupie), but it would be a good question for later on. Most likely Naruto thought, since Sarutobi was so old, he'd get another successor quickly, and Naruto wasn't quite old enough, nor strong enough, to keep and hold the position of Hokage as the Godaime.

Between the two boys, Sakura was in the middle of elbowing Naruto, but she still smiled at the camera. She was still glowing over their collective success as a team and her own success over the jutsu that Naruto taught her. But what made Sasuke smile was the memory of her cussing out the cameraman's assistant because she told Sakura that she should wear some makeup and her headband over her forehead, or better yet, get out of the picture. The whole time, the assistant was fluttering her eyelashes at Sasuke, implying that she's be better in the picture than Sakura. By the time Sakura was done with her, the girl was nothing more than a trembling form in the corner of the room.

Kakashi, looking a little bewildered as he always did, had a hand on each boy's head. His eye wasn't curved, the one way they knew he was smiling, rather, looking down at Sakura and Naruto. "Now now, children.. Be nice to the nice man and the nice lady.." he had said soothingly. "Don't call us kids, pervert!" Sakura and Naruto had snapped in a collective cry while getting ready for the picture.

Sasuke smirked, then froze. In the reflection of the glass frame, he had seen something. Turning around sharply, he saw that no one was there. He put down the picture carefully, switching to a kunai instead.

Stealthily, he snuck back into the main room, eyes wary for an enemy and senses spread out in all direction. There had been someone in his apartment, that he was sure of. But they were gone now.

Wait! There was a chakra signature behind his door. He didn't take the time to try and match it with memories of the other signatures he had sensed before, he just attacked.

Swinging the door open, he lashed out with his kunai at the enemy. The enemy squeaked, ducking low under the swing while knocking Sasuke's feet right out from under him instinctively with a sweeping kick along the ground. Sasuke saw the attack coming, but he fell, not being able to react fast enough. He immediately rolled back into his home and launched several shuriken at his enemy. Who he realized was starting to look very familiar. Oh crap.

Luckily, his unfortunate 'enemy' was quick and managed to catch the flying stars, but not before one sliced deep into his palm.

"Owie." he said, watching the thick blood ooze from the wound. He scowled at Sasuke. "That's it. That's the last time I bug you when you're brooding."

"Sorry." Sasuke leaned forward and examined the wound on Naruto's hand. "Didn't realize it was you. And I wasn't brooding."

Naruto scoffed at him. "Yeah, that's what they all say. Their eyes turn red and then they attack me like I'm the last bowl of ramen at a ramen lover's festival." he idly licked the blood off of his palm, ignoring Sasuke's look of disgust. "And you were brooding. You musta walked past your window three times. You brood like an old woman, Sasuke."

"Stalking me now, are you?" Sasuke grumbled, shooting a glare with no heat behind it at the boy standing in front of him.

"Nope. Trying to gage your mood. You were late to Sakura's whatchamacallit... meeting thing. She ordered me to make sure you didn't slip on and fall on your clothes. Yep, she had a fit when you didn't come. She was getting to be a real pain in the a** about it." he said calmly, watching as the wound closed. Sasuke groaned, just remembering the meeting. "Don't worry. You're Sasuke. She's bound to forgive you." Naruto flexed his hand once to make sure it was completely healed. With a half smile, he handed over Sasuke's shurikens.

Sasuke took them back. "How much longer till the exam?"

"Oh, about a hour. You still got time." he blinked, as if he just saw the sharingan in Sasuke's eyes. "If you.. wanna practice that thingy or something."

"Are you offering?" Sasuke asked, wondering how much information about the sharingan that Naruto picked up from Kakashi. Naruto only grinned, the glint in his eyes the only warning Sasuke got.


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Hinata kept her head down and her breathing slow. Kneeling made her seem smaller than she really was, but the way she seemed to curl into herself made her seem even smaller than that. She ducked her head so the bottom half of her face was out of sight, knowing that her father would not like to see his daughter biting her lips.

Imposing in the regal confidence that seemed to roll off of him, and in the way he kept ignoring her, Hiashi shifted through some papers importantly. Of course, there was no real reason for him to be shuffling through the papers, but he was trying to think of what to say to his daughter. His daughter's face was something he knew very well, as she looked exactly like her mother, but his daughter's spirit was something he was unfamiliar with.

How could someone with the honor of being born in the noble Hyuuga clan be so much more like a shy mouse than a fearsome ninja? It was just something he couldn't understand.

Hinata twisted her fingers in her lap, getting more nervous as the seconds wore on. Why did her father want her here? Was it to forbid her from seeing Naruto? Or, she theorized when she took a look at the clock that ticked away the minutes until the Chuunin Exam, did he plan to keep her from entering?

Hiashi glanced at the clock, realizing how much time he was wasted away. He was expected to make sure the Chuunin Exam was running its courses smoothly. Sighing, he decided to word himself in the best way he knew how: orders.

"You will give your thanks to whoever let you stay in their home, then you will return home." he said, reshuffling the stacks of papers into their original piles.

Hinata froze, her hand immediately going to the rusty key that hung around her neck. Flashes of memory went through her head: Naruto just waking up, bleary eyed and mumbling curses about coffee, the carefree grins he'd toss her way when she'd least expect it, the pout on his face after she won a game on his ancient game console, the surprised look on his face when she impulsively hugged him the day before, and the gentle way he hugged her back.

Over the last few weeks in his company, they had gotten closer than she could have ever hoped for. Hinata no longer shied away from his eyes, she stuttered very little in his presence, and she no longer saw Naruto as an unattainable person she had set upon a mile high pedestal. She saw him as what he was, a human who got annoyed very easily, wasn't at all immune from hurts and pains, and who, overall, was far from perfect. Hinata found herself in even more love with the Naruto she knew than the Naruto she idolized. Of course, despite the strange situations they'd get in together, she knew she wasn't good girlfriend material in Naruto's eyes. After all, who would want little Hinata when they had the confident and beautiful Sakura-san on their team?

Unfortunately, the more Hinata got to know Naruto, she also became very aware that she wasn't strong enough for Naruto. What she didn't know was that if he, in a life or death situation, was forced to make a choice over her and Sakura, even though Sakura was like the overly bossy, yet kind older sister that he never had, he'd save Hinata without a second thought.

But, oblivious to what Naruto really thought of her, she'd settle for what he could give her, the smallest tidbit of affection he'd throw her way. Hinata would settle for having his friendship, if she could have no more.

But, the knowledge that she'd no longer see him, day after day, ate at her heart. Hinata wasn't dumb. She knew, that one day, she'd have to go back home, but she didn't want to return home while things were so delicate between her and her sister. No, not while there was so much. No..

"..No." she said out loud. Hiashi looked up from his papers, frowning when he realized that she should have been gone already.

"Excuse me?" he said, almost sharply. Was the little mouse defying his direct order? Somehow, that didn't make him mad, rather, made him lean forward slightly, with his full attention on his oldest daughter.

"I.." she said, her throat nearly failing on her. No, she would not return. Not until her and Hanabi's differences had been settled. The last thing she wanted was to be feuding with her own family. One thing that she had realized, almost painfully so, how lonely Naruto was without the echo of a family in his home.

He had once told her that he had never met his parents, hardly even knew who they were. He said that, if he had the chance, he would have held on to them, and never would have let go. He said to her, "Hinata-chan, I don't care what kinda feud it is, family is family. Family means so much more than the people who look kinda like you and share your blood. Family is home. Don't loose yours over something as stupid as the leadership of the clan."

Her resolve firmed, she looked up, making rare eye contact with the father she barely knew. "I will return when my sister and I have resolved our differences, though that maybe almost impossible with the position of heir that you have been slinging about." she winced when she sounded too sharp. She gentled her tone, taking a different tactic. "This family means so much to me. I do not want to bring any h-hostility or bad blood, over something that seems almost trivial."

"I do not.. sling." Hiashi said, arching an eyebrow. “And that is not trivial.” But he didn't stop her from talking, only making a gesture for her to continue.

"Whatever it is that you may or may not do," she said quickly, "the fact of the matter is that this cannot be forced. This is our problem. I'm.. sorry Father."

"I.. see." he was calm, as he usually was. Hiashi looked carefully at her, alert for weaknesses. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

Hinata paused, staring down at her folded hands, nervously twitching. Well, might as well get it all out while I can. "Yes, actually." she swallowed hard, knowing her next words might seriously make her father angry. "I do not want to be the heir, so please give that to Hanabi."

"It is a privilege." Hiashi was frowning.

"One that I'm not well equipped for." Hinata said hastily. "I.. want to heal. That is my goal. To be a healer. The leader of the clan should be strong, like Hanabi. The leader of the clan should be a warrior." She waited, knowing she said too much of what was on her mind. Hinata stared at her hands, trembling in her slight terror. I said too much.. I said too much! Naruto always badgered her to speak her mind when he thought she looked sad. Hinata had gotten used to it, even started to crave telling others what she thought.

Just the day before, when Kurenai ordered Kiba to bathe his dog when she smelt Akamaru's growing odor and Kiba started to argue, Shino put his two cents in and nearly got into a fight with Kiba. Hinata murmured her agreement with Shino, which surprised everyone. She was the unofficial peace keeper of the team, it was extremely rare for her to take a side. Luckily, Kiba was so surprised that he made no more fuss and got to giving Akamaru his bath. Shino, muttering something about dogs and dog users smelling alike, booted Kiba into the river when he wasn't looking.


A low chuckle brought her attention back up. All nervousness faded into shock when she saw the faint smile on Hiashi's normally blank features."I should have foreseen this.." he said, for the first time, looking straight at her. He reached into his desk, pulling out an old picture. "Come here."

Hinata stood unsteadily. The long wait had made her legs numb. Slowly, she walked over, wary of what he was to show her and, she was sad to admit, that almost wistful and soft look in his eyes.

Hiashi pushed the picture to her, flipping it over so she could see it. There, amongst a small crowd of men and women in white uniforms, stood her mother. The woman smiled easily for the camera, her blue tinted hair pulled back into a neat ponytail and a clipboard hugged to her chest. Her blue-gray eyes were kind. A familiar necklace glinted in the light of the sun, the same necklace that Hinata wore around her neck.

“Mother..” she whispered, shaking fingers reaching out to touch the picture. The beautiful woman in the picture had died when she was seven.

Hiashi folded his hands under his chin, his eyes unfocusing. “Your mother was a medic nin. I remember, when we were younger, she was always trying to get one up on my brother or myself. Said that even though she didn't have a blood limit or she was a girl, there was no way she was going to let a bunch of 'pretty boys' get the better of her. She had this.. aggressive way of looking at things.” he paused, looking at Hinata for a moment. She was transfixed on his every word. “I have no idea where you got your shyness, but it's definitely not from her. She used to say 'Fight to the death, but live for love.' It never made any sense to me. She never made any sense to me. My brother and she got along very well, I'm sure she was the one who got him into medical jutsu in the first place.” he smiled, seeing her in his mind. “Our marriage was arranged. She was spitting mad about it too. Said she'd rather marry a rabid cat with three legs. We fought a lot. It was.. strangely fun. No one could push my buttons like your mother could.” He sighed with the wistfulness of a man who missed his wife, looking down at his desk.

“W-what made her want to be a medic nin?” Hinata prompted anxiously, wanting to hear more about her mother. Fuzzy memories of being held and talked to by her wasn't enough to tell Hinata the kind of woman her mother was.

“She wanted to heal.” Hiashi said simply. “Just what you said.” He sighed again. His shoulders slumped and his eyes, weary and tired, met hers. “I've spent so much time trying to make you two into my clones, but, without her presence, I've seemed to forget that you both are half of her as well. Leading this clan.. makes me forget that sometimes, I'm not just the head of the clan. I am a father as well.” The weary and tired Hiashi disappeared. His eyes became more determined as his posture straightened. “If you wish to become a medic nin, I will give you my full support. As I'm sure.. your mother would.”

“B-but.. I t-thought..” she took a deep breath, trying to calm down her giddy heart. “I thought there were to be no medic nins in the Hyuuga clan.”

Hiashi waved his hand. “Just because there are no medic nins with the byakugan, doesn't mean that there can't be.” A little embarrassed by the excited look on Hinata's face, he glanced over at the clock, starting when he realized what time it was. “You should be off already.” She followed his gaze, gasping when she saw the time.

“Oh no!” she cried. Hinata started to run out the door, but paused in mid step, looking back at her father. She nodded firmly to herself, as if she just made a mental decision. She moved toward him. “I promise to return home, and speak with my sister as soon as possible.”

He nodded. “As will I. Though she may want a fight with you, even though you passed to the position to her.”

Hinata bit her lip, then threw all caution to the wind. She walked around the table. She was too happy to worry about repercussions. “I apologize if this offends you.” she said, quickly hugging him. The gesture was brief and she had almost made it to the door in her haste before he reacted.

“Hinata!” she paused, the door halfway open. Hiashi seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if he was trying to think of what to say. “Do well in the exam.” She smiled, blushing a little.

“For the Hyuuga clan!” Hinata said cheerfully, turning around.

“No.” he said quietly. Hinata blinked owlishly, confused. Hiashi smiled. “For yourself.”


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“Isn't it a little early for you to be so beaten up?” Naruto scowled at him, one eye bruised to the point of being completely shut while the other spat fire.
“Isn't it a little early for me to whip your scrawny a**?” he replied, poking the bruised skin below his eye. “Besides, this thing will be healed up in a few minutes while your a** will be on fire for the next week, Shino. Dare to challenge me?”

Shino bowed his head once. “Fair enough. I shall leave you alone.” he started to walk away.

“Wait.” Naruto said, jogging to catch up. “I mean, we're going the same way, right?” he looked nervous. “And.. well, I need to talk to you about something, seriously. You know what I need to talk to you about.”

Shino nodded, silently agreeing that he did. He had wondered how long it would take for Naruto to either plead or threaten for him not to spread his secret. “It's going to be hard to speak with you seriously while you look like that.” he said.

Naruto scowled, his hand coming up self consciously over the eye. “Then don't look at me!” Shino nodded again, resisting the urge to look over at the short blond. “Hmph.”

They walked that way for several moments, Shino stubbornly trying to not smile while Naruto squirmed, trying to figure out a way to approach the situation.

Obviously, dealing with Shikamaru was easier. He knew, someday, when Shikamaru figured out what was needed to perform a time traveling jutsu, he'd ask how Naruto had done it. Then, Naruto would have to tell him about the Kyuubi. But until then, he had time to figure out an answer. Ugh, I hate when people get smart and figure things out on their own. He glared at Shino. Shino looked at him, then looked away, his high collar hiding his small smile.

Naruto really didn't know how much of a fool he looked like with that black eye.

“Alright..” Naruto said quietly, looking at his feet. Left right, left right.. his eyes followed the hypnotic rhythm of his moving feet before continuing. “You know what I know. You know what every adult in this village knows, but what every kid doesn't. The question is, are they, the naive and oblivious kids, going to find out about it from you?” he sighed, his hand going over his stomach. Shino could only imagine that was where the demon was sealed. “I'm not gonna beg. I'm not gonna plead. And, I'm not gonna threaten you either. If you want blackmail, well, you can shove it up your a**. I don't care.”

“But you do.” Shino murmured, echoing his sigh. “You don't know me very well, do you?”

“Does anyone?” Naruto grumbled. Shino smiled.

“Fair enough.” he said, nodding. “But, my point was, I'm not going to blackmail you, or anything of the sort.” he paused, lifting his hand up. A fragile butterfly with black and gold wings landed on his finger. “Secrets are secrets, Naruto, though I am well aware that secrets are best keep with one person, I assure and promise you this: The only way your secret will pass through my lips is if it is physically forced by another.” Naruto's head slumped forward to his chest, sighing in relief. Shino glanced at him through the corner of his eye. So I was right. He does care.

“But heed my warning.” the bug user said seriously. The butterfly flew off. “There are certain things allies must know in order to work seamlessly with each other, but this is one thing I know you want to keep to yourself. Remember, secrets have consequences. Telling people that you are who you are will endear you more to them than if they learn about it by themselves.” He paused, one hand going to his comrade's shoulder. “Be careful, Naruto.”

Naruto nodded. “Yeah, I will.” he paused for a moment, trying to figure out how he was going to word what he wanted to say. “Also I.. uh... I wanted you to know that..” Words suddenly flowed to him. “I'm not gonna hurt anyone who isn't already asking for it. And I also want you to know that, even with my.. companion, I'm still no different than the guy you've known all of these years.”

Shino arched an eyebrow. “I should hope not.” he said blandly. Naruto sharply turned his head toward the bug user, eyes wide. “I mean, you're not going to use that barbaric and highly offensive jutsu to get out of the Chuunin Exam, are you?” It took Naruto a moment before he realized what Shino was talking about. Then he started to laugh.

“Aw, no way. Sexy no Jutsu is reserved for only a few people. Mainly, perverts and closet perverts, you know?” They shared a laugh. “No no, I guess I have changed a bit. At least, I think I'm more mature.” There was a peaceful silence between the two for almost the rest of the walk. They had finally got within sight of the building they were supposed to go in before Shino said what he had wanted to say all along.

“I believe that I, of all of our peers, understand your situation the best.” he said, drawing Naruto's attention to him. Understanding that Naruto was confused, he lifted his arm. Bugs crawled out of the hole in his wrist. “I'm the icky bug kid, remember?” His tone was bitter, but he was gentle with the bugs crawling into his palm. “I realize this pales in comparison with a demon but..” Naruto was nodding.

“Yeah, I think you do understand.” he looked at the bugs, then at the user. “Really, thanks, Shino.” Shino nodded, ordering the bugs to go back into his body.

“Hey, Shino!” Both the owner of the name and the person he was talking to turned to the shout. Kiba, the one who called out, and Hinata trailing after him, ran to them. They stopped just within a few feet, panting. “Oh good, we're not late.”

“Naruto-kun.” Hinata said with a smile. Naruto waved, returning the easy smile. Noticing the confident way they both addressed each other, Shino narrowed his eyes. I suppose.. Hinata did live with Naruto during the time she was absent from her house? He considered asking, but realized it was rude to, and could, not to mention, make Kiba want to fight Naruto. Which would be very messy, since Naruto was a demon host, and could easily rip a hole into the dog user.

Just as Naruto promised, the black eye had already healed. However, within a few minutes of a conversation with Hinata, Kiba was already threatening to give him another.

Shino sighed. Such bothersome people he was forced to be around..


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Team Eight went inside while Naruto waited for his team. After ten minutes, Sasuke and Sakura finally showed up.
“Cutting it a little close, aren't we?” Sakura murmured as they ran up the stairs to the third floor. Knowing that there would be a hold up, Naruto purposely steered them to the first set of stairs they could find. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Izumo and Kotetsu.

“Kakashi would be proud.” Sasuke said. Naruto snickered while Sakura tried to hide a smile behind her hand.

“Zabuza was so disappointed to hear that the famous copy cat nin was a pathological liar, an exposed pervert, and chronicly tardy all in one.” Naruto revealed with a grin. He had talked to Haku a few days before and they had a laugh over it. “He said something about how the 'bingo book' succeeded in telling him of his opponents strengths and weaknesses but failed him when it came to their true personalities.” They rounded a corner, the door to the real room '301' and its guardian in their sights.

“While in battle, all that matters is skill, strength, agility, and smarts. Personalities are for peaceful times.” Kakashi murmured, his nose in his book. He was leaning casually against the wall. He had been, of course, shamelessly eavesdropping. “You must remember that. There are many battles ahead of you where, at the slightest hint of a screw up, you will die.”

“Well, that's one way to cheer us up.” Sakura grumbled. The jonin smiled absently, taking his gaze off of the text in front of him.

“I do my best!” he said cheerfully. They glared at him, moving to open the door. Kakashi stretched his hand out, keeping the door shut. He sobered up, looking very serious for a man with a perverted book in his hand. “You still have time to refuse. You don't have to go through with this.”

“Look, Kakashi-sensei..” Naruto said, prying his hand off of the door. “We've gotten this far. What makes you think we're gonna stop now? Don't go all 'Iruka-sensei' on us.” Naruto grinned. Kakashi's eyes drifted to Sasuke and Sakura. They both had the same confident looks that Naruto had. Wondering if he would later regret it, the jonin stepped away from the door, gesturing that they could go through.

Sasuke and Sakura grabbed a hold of the handles on the double doors and opened the doors. Naruto walked through first, his arms crossing behind his head. Sasuke and Sakura followed, the door swinging shut behind them.

Kakashi sighed. Those kids have spunk.. but is it just for show?


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It wasn't hardly as impressive the second time around, Naruto reflected as his team took in the sheer amount of people in the room. The large crowd of foreign and various fellow leaf genins was a formidable force, especially with all of them glaring at the Rookie Nine.
It had been five years, or ten Chuunin Exams, since the last rookies had entered in. Most of the chuunin hopefuls were on their second or third rounds of entering, while others had been held back until their respective teachers thought they were strong enough. In any case, there wasn't a welcoming committee for the rookies.

That should have tipped us off. Naruto thought darkly, his thoughts once again centering around Kabuto. There's no way a genin with that much experience would have helped us out unless he had something up his sleeve.


The other two rookie genin teams walked up to Team Seven, apparently feeling the anger and jealousy directed at them from the older genins. Though Kiba disguised himself with a casual insult and challenge thrown at them, and Sasuke just as easily parried, it was clear to the keenly observing eye that they were nervous.

Ino glomped Sasuke almost immediately after sighting him, causing an argument with Sakura and enough distraction so no one would notice Shikamaru looking over the genin teams. Near the back, he noticed a trio with a musical note etched on their forehead protectors. He memorized their faces for a moment, heeding Naruto's warnings. The one in front, whom he thought looked like a walking mummy, looked especially dangerous. Or just plain weird. But weird in the ninja world was usually a synonym with dangerous.

While Shikamaru was on the look out for suspicious ninjas, one slipped past his guard. The glasses wearing genin only got a moment's glance. He was too kind looking, too normal, too.. Iruka like. Well, a glasses wearing, silver haired, scarless Iruka. Kabuto was ignored in favor of a grumpy looking Gaara.

“I'm hungry.” Chouji whined. Ino rounded on him.

“What? You just enough food for a third world country!” she said, her voice slightly shrill. “You keep eating so much and you'll end up being the size of a whale.” Being a girl who watched her carb and calorie intake like a hawk, she didn't really understand that the Akimichi clan needed more food most normal people. She threw her hands up in the air in a classic 'I give up!' gesture. She stomped away to angrily start a conversation with Sakura, that quickly escalated into a verbal battle.

“What did I do?” Chouji asked of no one in particular. Shino, Chouji, a distracted Shikamaru, an equally distracted Naruto, and Hinata stood in one group while Ino and Sakura argued in another. Sasuke completely separated himself from all of them, preferring to lean against the wall than engage himself in one of their conversations.

“What didn't you do?” Kiba said sagely. Having an older sister, he considered himself an expert on women. “Girls are weird like that.” Realizing what he said at the last moment, and exactly who was standing next to him, he hastened to redeem himself. “N-not you, Hinata-chan! You're the best!” Hinata nodded absently. She hadn't been listening in their conversation at all, rather, she had been watching someone approach them. She tugged on Naruto's sleeve to gain his attention.

He blinked, looking at her in askance, then followed her gaze. A sudden growl erupted from his throat. All of those within earshot silenced immediately, noticing Naruto's sudden fierce expression. They followed his gaze.

“..name's Kabuto.” An older genin was addressing Sasuke. His hair was pulled up in a ponytail and his dark eyes were glinting behind a pair of glasses. The symbol on his forehead protector was that of a leaf. The two girls had stopped bickering and were almost protectively hovering in the background behind the man who would later be revealed as one of Orochimaru's top spies and right hand man. “And I suppose you are Uchiha Sasuke?”

Don't answer that. The thought, fleeting and unbidden, came to Naruto's mind. He wished that he knew some type of telepathy to communicate that to his friend.

Sasuke was looking at Kabuto the same way he looked at everyone outside his circle of friends and accepted acquaintances, cold and superior like, as if he was a king sitting on a throne. His shifted his gaze, for one split second, to Naruto's, as if he could sense the other boy's distress.

Naruto calmed. Sasuke didn't trust anybody without due cause. Still, he gestured to the group to follow him, momentarily forgetting that he wasn't in the future, he wasn't their captain, and there was no reason why they'd follow him. But still, they did. Later, Shikamaru would reflect upon this, and many other moments, where Naruto's more serious side would come out, giving a slight glimpse at who Naruto really was.

Sasuke waited until the rest of the Rookie Nine had assembled behind Kabuto before answering. “And if I was?” Kabuto noticed the crowd behind him. He glanced back, secretly uneasy at the sheer unfriendly looks on most of their faces, most of it stemming from the unremarkable blond boy in front of them, radiating blood lust and anger. His worry grew when those blue eyes flashed red for a moment. Was he one of the demon hosts that Orochimaru warned him about?

Between a rock and a hard place. He thought, looking from Naruto to Sasuke. That's very unusual. Kabuto gazed at Sasuke's impassive face, frowning lightly. One guy gets cornered and the rest of them come running to the rescue. Orochimaru-sama will be very interested to hear this. Adopting an innocent, yet slightly bewildered smile, he held his hands up in defense.

“No need for hostility!” he said, addressing them all. “I was just curious, that's all. It's been a long time since an Uchiha has been in the exam..” He trailed off, leaving the uncompleted thought to drift through the air.

The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. Naruto nearly smiled, knowing that Kabuto had said the wrong thing if he had hoped to get Sasuke on his side.

Sasuke slowly pushed himself away from the wall. His shoulders were stiff and his dark eyes were colder than ice. “You trailed off.” he stated, walking up to Kabuto. “Finish it.” He was menacing, his chakra spiking to the point where people could feel it, but just stopping short of becoming visible to the naked eye. His eyes widening, Kabuto backed up, his hands coming up in defense again.

Such an unusually strong chakra level for a child! He thought, still backing away. No wonder why he is interested in him.

“No, finish it.” Sasuke hissed at Kabuto's denial. “No? Preservation instincts kicking in? Fine, I'll finish it for you. You were going to say that it had been a long time since an Uchiha was in a Chuunin Exam.. and that it'll be a longer time after to see another. You think it's funny that I'm the last of my clan?” Now, had it been anyone else, Naruto would have stepped in and yelled at Sasuke for assuming too much. But since it was Kabuto...

Naruto grinned, his arms crossing behind his head. The only thing that would make this better was a bowl of ramen and a couch to sit and watch it from.

It would be a lot better if we could.. Kyuubi sent him many bloody images involving Naruto, rasengan, and an interestingly placed '1000 years of pain'.

In time, Kyuubi, in time. The promise was enough for Kyuubi.

Sasuke grabbed a hold of the front of Kabuto's shirt and dragged the taller genin down to his height. “I better not run across you during this exam, or you might lose an important limb.” The thinly veiled threat was enough for Kabuto to yank himself out of the shorter boy's grasp and to tuck himself into a shadowy corner far away from the Uchiha, lamenting his failed mission to 'Become Sasuke's Friend'.

Sasuke slowly released his anger, realizing quickly when the haze of rage disappeared that the rest of the Rookie Nine were giving him weird looks. Kiba, Chouji, and Shikamaru were eying him like they expected him to attack at a moment's notice. Slightly behind everyone else, Hinata and Sakura were looking at him worriedly while Ino looked confused. Shino was Shino, finding that a conversation with a fly was more interesting than Sasuke's latest flare of temper. However, Naruto was looking at him with a strange sense of.. Sasuke couldn't put a finger on it, it was familiar but..

Continued on the next post because of size difficulties.

wow the fun begins indeed ^^ YAY!!! finally the chuunin exam gets underway... wow....y is it that the word 'doom' comes to mind at that thought ? oh well keep up the genious man! ^^ ninja

great job suhi-sama! ur wonderful fanfic keeps my mind of school drawing nearer! crying

ya actually I was wondering about that but I figured maybe since Haku was there maybe the numbers came out different or something but meh... a frustrated naruto ish usually an entertaining naruto ^^ ninja mrgreen

[Continued]

Off to the side, Sakura was elbowing the two boys with her, nodding towards Naruto with a knowing smile. Haku looked surprised and started asking questions, but Sasuke just smirked.

“O-okay.” she whispered. All discomfort seemed to melt away when she met his eyes. It reminded her of what she had planned to ask. “I.. um..-” Where had Hinata's resolve gone? She had made a decision during the first exam, when she had thirty minutes to do nothing but think. The Hyuuga had decided, with a firm foot on the ground, that she would at least try to get Naruto to like her the way she liked him. She wasn't going to be lazy. She was going to stand up, say what she wanted, and if he rejected her, well.. it was very doubtful that they would meet up in the forest.

“I...-” Naruto really didn't know how hard it was for her to get it out, especially when he had that cute look of confusion on his face, slightly tipped to the side and regarding her silently. What was her problem! Girls did this sort of thing all the time these days. “Afterthisdoyouwanttogooutonadate?” she said in one rushed breath. Hinata was automatically bowing in apology.

Blinking, Naruto looked at the back of her head, rewinding what she had said, then playing it in slow motion. “Oh!” he said out loud, realizing what she asked. He had to hand it to her: he never thought she'd be the first to ask. YES! He cheered silently.

Point to Hinata. Kyuubi thought proudly, snickering at Naruto. Naruto scowled mentally. The demon host had been too cowardly to go up and ask first, making up excuses like the lame 'It's better if we don't get involved this time around, she might get hurt' or the 'I'm mentally older, wouldn't it be like I'm a *****> To which Kyuubi countered that most people were more mature mentally than they were physically, so it didn't make much of a difference at all. All Naruto had on Hinata was knowledge.

Kyuubi's logic didn't make sense to Naruto. All that he knew was he didn't mind Hinata at twelve. To him, Hinata was Hinata, no matter her age.

Well, if anything, it's going to be a long time till she invites you in for coffee, if you know what I mean.

Naruto winced. At least his hormones weren't developed enough to be going haywire. Shut up, Kyuubi.

He put his hands on her shoulders to stop her frantic bowing. “Yeah, sure.” he said in what he hoped was a casual tone. “But it's on me though, okay?”

Hinata looked up, her face flaming red. She couldn't believe that he had said yes. YES! She cheered mentally. “But we can't very well go out on a date-” here, he turned a shade redder than the girl in front of him. After years and years of Kakashi and Jiraiya influence, he couldn't believe that he still could be embarrassed. “-if we're six feet under. So, that's more of an incentive to get by, right?” Naruto knew he was on the verge of blabbing, so he found a quick way to end the conversation before he said something stupid.

He grabbed her arm and tugged her closer to him in a tentative embrace. Sighing, Hinata remembered the friendly hugs she had given him back in his apartment. She rested her head against his collarbone, relaxing when she could feel the soothing vibrations of his somewhat erratic heartbeat.

Grinning evilly, Sakura cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. “Hey, Naruto!” she bellowed. The sudden call made the two jumped away from each other in shock. “Stop the romancin' and get a move on!”

“S-Sakura-san?” Hinata whispered, looking at the grinning pink haired kunoichi.

“You're evil and heartless!” Naruto yelled back, scowling at her.

“Tell it to the judge!” was her witty reply. With a final good bye and a sour look towards his team mate, Team Seven, escorted by a highly amused Haku, left for their gate. Hinata ran after her team, making it to them before they reached the gate that Izumo was leading them to. One watched them both depart.

There were so many things he wanted to ask, but knew his cover would be blown. For once, he wished he was on their side for a moment so he could go up to his former student and ask what the hell was that dratted demon still doing alive.

Jerking his head, he motioned for the other two to follow the oblivious chuunin that led them to their gate. Oh, how easy it would be to sneak up to that unprotected back, reach forward, and snap the little ninja's neck.

Reacting to the cold aura of blood lust behind him, Kotetsu hurried up his pace, leading the three ominous grass nin to the gate assigned to them. He explained the rules one more time, then left quickly, looking back at the trio only once. There's something wrong with those people. He thought, tugging lightly on the bandage on his face. I'll warn Anko, and see if she can have someone follow them.

The leading grass nin stepped forward, flicking his black hair over one shoulder as his dark and cruel eyes drifted over the pitiful locking mechanism for the gates. They swung open, a loud bell signaling to all entrants that the survival exam just started. The three darted forward, looking like nothing more than dark flashes against the forest back ground. “We go for the rookies first.” And his word was law. They would not dare to oppose Orochimaru, after all.

“Ah, this is fun!” Anko said with a grin, turning on all of the monitors. The forest was bugged with cameras and listening devices. Granted, most of them would be destroyed by the end of the five days, if not accidentally by the genins, then by the creatures that inhabited that forest, but Anko still wanted them there.
The official reason was to judge the teams and their work ethic by monitoring them, but Anko's reason was just a bit darker than that. She liked to watch them squirm.

Ibiki leaned against a table, his arms folded over his chest. “So the alpha team is already patrolling?” he asked, sure that she'd forget something that important over her interest in the cameras.

“Yeah yeah.” she said dismissively. Her eyes were glued to the screen. “Ooh, that musta hurt.” She grabbed the radio, and tuned into a well known frequency. “Yo. We need a medic team over here. Over.” There was a garbled reaction on the other end. “Whaddya mean, 'already?' Does the name 'Forest of Death' mean anything to you? Get 'em over here, or you're gonna have a dead leaf nin on your conscience! Over.” Anko swore quietly to herself.

“Why are you using that old thing?” Ibiki asked, his attention flickering from the monitor to the radio that Anko barely resisted throwing.

“They forgot to pay the damn telephone bill.” she seethed. Ibiki looked startled, but then he started chuckling. If there was one thing Anko hated more than her old teacher, it was people who couldn't pay their bills on time. When she shot him a dirty look, he pretended to be listening to someone else on the communicator in his ear.


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“High and quiet.” had been Naruto's only response when Sasuke brought up the situation on how they should go in. None of the three had any doubts that they'd be targeted because they were rookies. Seeing their questioning glances, Naruto explained. “Humans rarely look up. Let's use that to our advantage.”
And so they did. Sasuke refrained from pointing out that being so high up would both get them lost and also make them easily traceable since the branches were weaker and tended to fall. Naruto seemed desperate to at least get them half way to the tower before night fall.

They barely escaped the notice of the three grass nins. Far away from them, Orochimaru grew angry as his opportunity to test the last Uchiha faded away, and took it out on a different genin team.

As soon as they had fallen, Orochimaru started to go for the tower, hoping to cut Team Seven off there, but a group of chuunins stood in his way. After Haku had reported a rather grisly scene he had chanced upon, three genins with their faces torn off, Anko had noticed his style of fighting through the monitors and had sent them there to hold him off until the Anbu team arrived. She had to be restrained by Ibiki in order not to go there herself when the cameras in that area were destroyed.

Angry, she ordered Haku to go after them as well. The former mist nin did just that, coming upon an even worse scene: all eight chuunins either unconscious or dead.

“Anko-san.” he said, his perfected shinobi mask sliding over his heart. He spoke in the small microphone hanging from the communicator in his ear. “We need medic teams in here. All of Team Alpha has been taken down. Over.” Even though his voice was lacking of any emotion, he still felt the pain inside. All of those chuunins had welcomed him in with opened arms. They may not have been his friends, but they had shown him rare kindness in not turning him away because of his blood limit.

Haku stiffened, realizing too late that he wasn't alone. The communicator was plucked from his ear by a pale hand.

What he felt was much more than Zabuza, or Kakashi, or even that weird green jonin who often fought with the copy nin. It was more than the three put together. He was frozen in place, helpless to do anything by register the feeling of someone standing behind him.

“Interesting, how far technology has gone.” the voice in his ear was both soft and hard, like a hiss of a snake. Haku's hackles rose. “You know, back in the day, ninjas who used technology were considered somewhat of a ..heretic to other ninjas. Something about ancient ways and what not.. I'm not quite sure, I never really paid attention to things like socially acceptable things.” There was a cracking noise, like plastic shattered under an unforgiving heel. He broke it. Haku thought distantly.

“What is your purpose?” he spoke quietly with dignity.

“To live forever.” the person behind him hissed. Haku ducked under the swing of a kunai, keen ears catching the almost silent catch of metal against cloth as his enemy lifted it from its pouch. He rolled on his shoulder, stopping in a crouch. The former mist nin whipped out several senbon, prepared to fight to the death, if only to avenge his comrades.

His eyes met the cold eyes of the snake. And so it began.

-repeats Hikaru Akumu's gesture- Damnnit what the heck is it with literary masters and cliffy's?!?! I mean DNAngel!, Rurouni Kenshin! Hell the story my freind is working on is f***ing evil ! -eye twich- sry reverted to angsty teen mode for a sec there heh heh sweatdrop still....baka cliffy's I curse them all... also IS INO AN IDIOT OR SOMETHING!?!?!? I MEAN IM NOT EVEN A SHINOBI AND I GOT AN 'OH CRUD' FEELING AS SOON AS "messy red hair" was mentioned... sry outside voice ^^ geez should really quit staying up this late while im sick xp anywase even though i loath cliffy's that one was interesting and kawaii ^^ yay naruXhina whare they actually connect at last w00t ^^