Chapter 22

A moment of Respite

The life of a shinobi was not meant to be a pleasant one. They were tools, sharpened specifically for the defense and farther growth of their village's strength and power. This fact was commonly acknowledged throughout the elemental nations. So much so, that it was often forgotten that the ones risking their lives and staining their hands in the protection of their home countries were… human.

Many of the shinobi themselves had forgotten this.

And for this reason, the Leaf had many things set in place to see to the mental and physical health of its forces. From its hospital which was revolutionized by the First Hokage's granddaughter to the psychiatric division run mainly by members of the Yamanaka clan. But these things were in place for those who had damage already done.

And this is why the Leaf provided amenities such as low rent apartments, laundry, bathhouses, and mess halls specifically for the shinobi if they so choose to use the resources. These things provided the basic needs: shelter, food, and just feeling clean.

Things that helped one return to that feeling of being human.

This is why, after days of running around in a wild forest, Naruto found herself soaking in a large bath across from her teammate. The tiled room echoed slightly as she leaned back, dipping her hair into the heated water.

Oh, how she needed this!

In her first time taking the Chunin exams, Naruto and her team did not get to the tower until just before the cut off time. The three exhausted genin barely had enough time to eat and even less to make use of any plumbing before being pulled into the large hall where the prelims were held.

This time, they had a full day to rest before the successful teams would be gathered together and the second stage of the exams officially ended.

'How will this affect the prelims?' She wondered to herself as she barely registered the sigh of contentment from across the water. To think only an hour ago the three battle-worn teens were standing on the steps of their designated tower door.

…

Naruto stretched her arms back, earning a satisfying pop as the small group left the entrance hall where team seven had completed their test. They had spent the last fifteen-minute listening to their old academy teacher lecture about the meanings of the scrolls they had to gather and the reasons they had to go through the grueling test.

But it was all worth the feeling of being stuck in a classroom again when the young teacher stated that he would lead them to the tower's mess hall. The prospect of filling her stomach with more than foraged mushrooms and berries put a skip in the blonde's steps as she followed the others down the familiar corridor.

"Well, here you are." Iruka gestured to an open door. The smell of hot food wafting through the entrance. "There's washrooms around the corner and you can choose from any of the empty dorms on this floor for your team to rest in."

"Thank you, sensei." Sakura quickly said for the others as she followed them into the mess hall. Naruto sending a quick salute his way as she beelined it to the kitchen. The man grinned after them, proud of their accomplishments before he turned and headed back to the observation room. There were still many who had not made it to the tower yet and he still had an hour left on his shift.

Team seven quickly gathered up their loaded plates of the simple, but filling meal provided and sat at a table that was far from the others that were in the hall. They concentrated on filling their bellies for a time, not bothering to talk with one another.

When Sakura finished her plate, she placed her utensils down and looked to her team. "Should we go to the medical bay or the showers after this?" Sakura asked as she watched Naruto stuff bites of her grilled fish into her mouth, wondering if it was really possible for the blonde to be a girl. "You were both injured back there." She continued "Perhaps…"

"I'm going for the baths first." Naruto cut in as she placed her second plate to the side, debating whether she should go for another. "Believe it or not, I heal fast. So, my priority's getting clean." She then focused her attention on Sakura. "You got pretty scraped up to Sakura-chan. How are you feeling?"

The green-eyed girl blinked a few times before nodding "I'm ok. Honestly, I'd really like to get clean too." She then turned to their male teammate. "What about you, Sasuke kun? Maybe" she touched her own shoulder. "It should…"

"No." Both Naruto and Sasuke spoke at the same time. The boy looking to the disguised girl with a raised brow. He didn't want to risk the chance of being pulled out because of what happed and had thought that the blonde would insist that he be looked over once they had a chance. He waited for her explanation.

The blonde looked around the room then back to her team. She leaned in and spoke lowly. "Ya shouldn't let anyone see it until we speak to Kakashi sensei and perhaps the Hokage. That includes healers and anyone in the showers. So be careful."

The rest of their meal was spent in silence.

Once they finished, they left the mess hall and headed towards the showers. Naruto turned to the left to enter the men's room like any other day but stopped as a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her in the opposite direction. All she could manage was a squawk of surprise before Sakura pulled the stunned blonde into the woman's room. Sasuke was left alone in the hall. His brows furrowed in confusion before a look of realization hit him and his face became red. The boy turned quickly and entered the men's room without a word.

"Sakura-chan! I can't go in here." Naruto hissed as she righted her balance and shrugged her friend's hand from her shoulder.

"Oh yes, you can. That is if what you said earlier was true." The pink-haired girl said with her arms crossed, a look of determination on her face.

Naruto shuffled her feet. "Well, it is but…"

"But nothing! You're a girl and girls bathe in the girls' bath." Sakura stated motherly. "How did you manage all this time anyway?"

The disguised girl looked away, her cheeks pink at the memory of the many close calls she'd had through the years. But she had managed just fine. Even a few of her more unconventional jutsu were inspired by the events.

"That may be, Sakura-chan." The blonde ran her fingers through her hair. "But not everyone knows and if they see me in here," she restlessly inspected the door. "Things could get bad… fast. I told you because I trust you. Not because I want to announce it to the world yet."

This stopped Sakura from the little rant that was building. Her whole demeanor seemed to deflate as she considered Naruto's situation. On the other hand, the blonde didn't like seeing her friend looking so… sad. And it made her think about how long it'd been since she'd seen the pink hair girl just hang out with a friend and not fight over a stupid boy.

"Ok." Naruto sighed. "How about this." She raised her hands and made the signs needed, changing her appearance to her older self. Since she was using this form around the village anyway and even had a clone of her older form here at the tower, no one should question her being in the woman's bath. "There. This should do. Now, let's do something about this dirt!"

…

The room was filled with rhythmic thunks. Flesh and wood meeting in quick, rapid succession, only pausing from time to time as the man reset his stance. Sweat dripped down his temple as he sent another series of strikes upon the unfortunate training dummy. Its reinforced wood groaned at the power released in each strike.

He was the only occupant of the tower's indoor training room since its regular patrons vacated quickly after the man's entry. No doubt sensing the man's foul mood. For he found it hard to maintain his normally aloof disposition, being clouded by the mix of emotions churning in his gut.

Another strike to the wood filled the room with a resounding crack as the poor dummy gave way. Its top portion falling to the concrete floor.

"You think they'll charge you for that?"

Though the man was startled, he did not show it. Standing straight and turning to face the owner of the feminine voice at the gym entrance. White porcelain, framed by golden hair, greeted him. The ANBU he had seen not long before beside his leader was now leaning against the doorframe, arms folded under her armored chest.

His gaze narrowed at the sight of the woman. He did not know her. No one did. Of course, being in ANBU meant leaving your identity behind and taking on the mantle of an elite weapon under the direct command of the Hokage. But the silver-haired man had spent years in the ANBU. He had been a captain and had worked closely with the many operatives within the ranks.

Rumors were that she had been on a long-term mission. Others said that she was a newly recruited prodigy from a civilian family. And then there were the whispers of distrust. Of plots to manipulate the Hokage to an unknown end.

He didn't know what to believe. His leader trusted her. Enough so, that she was put in charge of overhauling the entire village's fuinjutsu based security systems. Which was necessary since the last person put in charge was found to be a spy for Orochimaru.

But he did not know her. And despite the fact that she wore the symbol of the Leaf proudly, at this moment, he did not trust her.

"You look stressed." The masked woman spoke again as she took a step into the room. His fingers twitched at his side and his muscles tensed as he watched her close the door slowly. Her back was towards him for a moment and the man wondered at it. Was it a sign of trust on her part? Or was she testing him?

"What are you doing?" The man stood his ground as she turned back to him.

The azure within the unpainted mask's holes glinted with amusement as she pointed at the broken equipment behind him, her movement slow and deliberate. As if she knew how high-strung he was at the moment. "You've run out of things to punch." She walked a few feet away and stopped in the open area within the gym. "I'm offering you an outlet, Kakashi san." She remained there silently as he studied her. Trying to understand her reasons.

After a few minutes, her shoulders sagged and she exhaled in, what seemed to him, frustration. "Look." She ran her hand through her hair in a familiar gesture he couldn't place. "I'm sorry. Ok? It wasn't my decision to leave you out of the plan, but I didn't disagree with it either."

This took the man aback. He hadn't expected an apologue from the woman, let alone the fact that she brought up a topic that was discussed in a top-secret meeting. She must have seen the tension building in his body since she lifted her hands up to pacify him.

"Aw, don't worry! I sealed the room when I shut the door. We're free to talk."

That was all he needed.

"That was my team!" He stepped towards her, letting the words he kept shut tightly in front of his leader spill in front of the woman. "They are my responsibility!"

The woman braced herself as his fist flew towards her, catching his fist as she dodged another strike. "I know."

They settled into an intense rhythm. Her moves were defensive as she took his frustration in stride. Allowing the man to vent out what she knew he would only bottle up. Frustrations that he would only use to fuel his own self-loathing.

And the man did not hold back. Several times the woman feared that his hits would break the jutsu that created her. Sending her memories back to her creator and forcing the girl to go through to complicated prosses of creating another like herself. She could feel the fortification seals flare up and knew that her boss would be connecting their link to see what was happening soon.

And so, they fought. Sharing in a dialog that only shinobi experience.

Kakashi's last kick sent the blonde AMBU to the floor. She sprawled out in front of him, chest heaving for breath. "And then there's Naruto…" He huffed out as he caught his own breath. "It's bad enough that Sasuke was singled out by Orochimaru. But to expect so much..." The man sank down to the floor and sat with one knee propped up as he leaned back on his hands. "I didn't think the Hokage would give such a task to a genin…. Not since the last war."

The man almost sounded hopeless now that his initial anger had been released. The two remained silent for a moment as they caught their breaths.

"She's more capable than you think." The ANBU spoke, still staring up at the ceiling.

Kakashi wondered again who this strange person was. "So, you know…" He left the question unfinished, not willing to speak his student's secrets out loud. The woman hummed in the affirmative, her actions giving him that strangely familiar feeling again. "What is your connection with Naruto?" They had to know each other. Because the more time he spent with the woman, the more he saw Naruto in her. Or was it the woman that he saw in Naruto. "Are you the one who taught Naruto Fuinjutsu?"

The woman's stunned 'Wha…' was followed by a burst of giggles as she finally sat up. Crossing her legs as she held her stomach in mirth. "I-I don't know what to say to that!" She finally got out, wishing she could wipe the tears from her eyes. The absurdity of it had shocked her and she could now feel the amusement of her boss coming through their shared link.

The man huffed in annoyance as he stood up.

"Sorry. Sorry." The woman held her hand out to him in a plea not to leave just yet. "No, I didn't teach her." She stood with him. "I'm sure she'll fill you in later. She trusts you. I know that much. But…" She rubbed her sore shoulder as she thought through her next words carefully. "She holds a lot close to her chest. Experiences she even hides from herself." She then stopped, feeling the displeasure from her boss. "Just… watch over her, OK?"

…

Naruto opened her eyes after disconnecting the link with her clone. The seal throbbing slightly at the back of her neck. 'That cheeky little doppelganger.'

The girl lifted her hand to run her fingers through her hair, only stopping when she remembered that she was in the bath and her appearance was that of her older self. Her longer hair was now pilled sloppily atop her head and covered with a neatly folded towel. The 'grown' woman instead stared at her hand, drops of cooling water running down her palm. 'He'll be coming.'

Her hand fell back into the water as she stood, she stepped out of the soothing water and headed towards her things. As she walked, she pulled the white cloth from her head to wrap around herself. Her damp hair falling to tickle her bare shoulders.

The Uzumaki tilted her head to the side as she heard the wet steps of her teammate behind her. Her hands continuing in their work of binding her chest before pulling the rest of her clothes on. "You should get that cut looked at." She pointed to the thin gash that spread across Sakura's left shoulder.

The pink-haired girl drew her arm back from the cubby, now holding the basket full of her clothes. "Aw, yeah…" The girl pulled her towel tighter around herself as she looked back to the group of girls that had entered the bathroom shortly after the two had started scrubbing their tired bodies. They hadn't spoken since the group of muddied teens stormed into the tiled room, not wanting to set the frustrated girls off. They were obviously among those who had failed the test. "I'm heading to the infirmary after this." She responded lightly, placing her fingers to her chin as she thought. "I should grab some supplies for my team to."

Naruto grinned as she tightened the straps of her weapons pouch. It amazed her how well her team was able to communicate this time around, despite the many secrets they knew she held. "Sounds like a plan." She straightened up, standing a foot taller than the pink-haired girl. With a mischievous grin on her face, she couldn't resist stretching her hand out and ruffling the girl's hair. "Hang in there, kiddo."

Emerald-eyes widened in surprise and before Sakura could even think of retaliating, the 'older' blonde disappeared in a light swirl of wind.

…

When Kakashi had finally found the room, his team had chosen to rest in, he stood in front of the door for a time as he cooled the rest of his temper down. The interactions with the blonde ANBU had surprisingly helped the man, but despite this, he had left the training room still feeling out of sorts.

After her plea for the man to watch over the little blonde, she had walked to the door and deactivated the seal she had placed earlier. "Oh!" She turned to him. "I almost forgot the reason I came." She chuckled to herself. "Team seven made it to the tower about a… well, I guess it's been about two hours now."

The man had stared at her in disbelief as she gave a quick wave and shushined way.

She had left him with more questions than before. Questions he knew held more pieces to the puzzle that was his blonde Uzumaki. 'What is their connection?'

Kakashi knocked three times before opening the wooden door and peeking in. His face set in its normal, pleasantly creepy, eye smile. "Yo." He spoke lazily with a slight wave.

Sakura was the first to respond to the man's appearance. "Kakashi sensei, hello!" He tilted his head toward her in acknowledgment and looked to the others. Sasuke had been leaning back in one of the lower bunk beds, reading from a scroll, but had now set the rolled parchment to the side as he sat up and greeted him with a nod.

Naruto, on the other hand, had not acknowledged his presence. Her head was tilted down as she worked to finish bandaging Sakura's arm. The masked man frowned and was about to call her name when his fellow male teammate beat him to it.

"Naruto," Sasuke spoke, his voice almost sounding eager. "You said you'd explain." The disguised girl continued to fuss with the cloth around Sakura's arm.

"He's right, you know," Sakura said as she turned away from the blonde and sat beside her crush. "Sensei is here now. And you did promise."

Naruto sighed and looked up to greet her Sensei wordlessly. Offering him the chair Sakura had just left before sitting on the opposite bunk bed. She sighed again as she bit her lip in thought. How was she going to start this?

The very thought of opening up so much about herself to the others made her feel vulnerable and she pulled her legs up as a way to shield herself from the impending conversation, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"For such a load-mouth, your being oddly silent," Sasuke said in impatience.

Naruto bristled at this. "You try baring your soul!" she snapped, causing the others to flinch. She sighed as she pushed her hands through her hair before pulling back to settle her chin on her knees. "It's not that easy, teme."

Sasuke's mouth hung open as he watched his blonde teammate. She was chewing on her thumbnail as she mumbled incoherent words. He then looked to the others. None of them wanted to ruin this opportunity for answers so they waited.

When she finally looked up, the girl gestured behind their sensei who had not moved from his spot by the door. "You mind?"

The man turned to see a paper privacy seal already placed in the center of the wooden surface. Not even questioning the high leveled seal, he places his hand on the paper and channeled chakra into the seal to activate it.

"So… ah." Naruto fidgeted a bit as she scooted farther back onto the mattress. "Man, this will never get easier will it?" her eyes roamed the small space, judging whether or not it would be a viable option to pace as she explained. 'Three paces to the other bed, six from the desk to the door. No. No good.' Her body wanted to move. This was torture. "Ok, so…" she looked to their sensei. "I'll catch them up first if you don't mind waiting."

The man raised a brow in question but stayed silent for her to continue. He watched as her fingers gently twisted at a sandy-colored band around her ankle, pulling at the unfamiliar piece of jewelry. "I can't tell you everything." She started up again, raising her other had to stop the Uchiha's protest. "Please, understand this."

There was a shift in the girl's demeaner as she began to explain what she had told him the night they had returned from Wave. She sat straighter and her knees dropped to the sides as she crossed her legs. But her arms remained in front of her, fingers still twisting the sandy bangle. He watched as she glossed offer details and elaborated on others. Clearly, steering the others away from sensitive questions she did not want to answer.

This was the girl he had first meet in the Hokage's office. The young woman that reminded him so much of his sensei's wife. Yet, even though it seemed that she had let down her walls, the man could tell she was still hiding.

She didn't broach the topic of the nine-tails nor her parentage. Though it was obvious that she had spoken of her family at some point in the forest when Sasuke asked about the Uzumaki and a girl they had met.

The blonde had shrugged her shoulders at his questions. "I was given my mother's maiden name for reasons I only learned of recently. That's all I can say about it now. As for the girl, if she is Uzumaki, she'd be a distant cousin I think." The girl looked down with a wistful look on her face before shaking her head and beginning anew. "So, my godfather…"

The three remained silent as she finished, absorbing the almost unbelievable tale. If only they knew the truth instead of the carefully crafted lie. Naruto hated lying. She never felt right when she had to. Kind of strange to say when most of her life was engulfed in them.

"So, wait a minute." Sakura finally spoke "You mean to say that you've been pretending to be stupid this whole time. Just so people wouldn't suspect you? And who is this godfather? You said he hasn't been in the village for years. Have you actually met this guy?"

The blonde fidgeted a bit before answering. Her fingers absentmindedly tugging at the sandy band around her ankle. "It's not that I was acting the whole time." She'd only been in the past for several months "I'm still me." Just a little older and wiser. She laughed lightly. "Still the same knucklehead you all know and love… except with lady part." She grinned so widely her eyes shut to accommodate the stretch of her cheeks.

The Uchiha snorted at the declaration.

"And as for Pervy Sage, he probably won't recognize me when he sees me."

"Pervy what?" Sasuke grunted out as a chocked cough came from the team's leader.

The blonde's cheeks warmed at her slip. It had been easier to think about the man she considered a father. And she found herself slipping into old habits. Was it really that bad though? Feeling that bit of peace that came as she spoke aloud the nickname, she bestowed him. A found smile graced her lips as she spoke again. "He's a good man, despite all of his eccentric tendencies."

The room fell silent and the others knew she would not elaborate further.

"You've been holding back." Sasuke broke the moment of silence, taking the conversation back to a path that would lead to more answers. "Why stop now?"

The smile fell as Naruto looked up at her Sensei then back to the others. "I… I can't afford too." Not when so many lives depended on it.

"And why exactly is that?" Kakashi finally spoke, knowing it was time for his own questions to be answered.

The blonde sat there fiddling with the sandy band as she chewed on her lip. "I can't go into detail. And I won't no matter how many times you demand it." She said this in an authoritative tone before turning soft again. "I…" she licked her lips "Something happened, and I… I had to do some growing up overnight." The girl smiled bitterly as she thought about the lifetime she had already lived and the death she had already experienced.

It was a haunted expression that flashed across her countenance. Kakashi had to control his breathing as he saw it. Feelings of panic and terror wanted to flood his body. He knew that look. It was the same look that adorned the faces of seasoned veterans. Those who had lost much yet lived through the brutality of war. It was the same look he saw in the mirror in his darkest times.

His fists clenched tightly beneath his folded arms. He wanted to run to the Hokage that minute and demand to know what had happened to the girl. Why he had seen that 'look' on a child who should know nothing of war. He wanted to wrap her up and shield her from the terrors that haunted her. Yet he stood still, not daring to leave the girl, not daring to touch her. Hoping that she would confide in them…. in him.

"I figured some things out." She continued, unaware of her sensei's unease. She stretched her legs out in front of her but kept her gaze down. "And… I'm determined to change things." She stood and walked to the small desk that Sasuke had placed the scroll. "Things like this. Though it didn't go exactly how I wanted." She held the parchment to her chest as she looked at Sasuke. Her eyes flickering from his face to his marked shoulder. Her lips thinned as she pressed them together. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it."

She turned and thrust the scroll towards Kakashi, avoiding the young Uchiha's eyes. The man unrolled the parchment, his eye widening as he read. "This is…" The disguised girl nodded her head.

"Everything I've gathered on Orochimaru's curse mark and what I did… to change it." She glanced back to the boy who straightened up.

"You got the information from this godfather of yours?" The boy asked as Kakashi set aside his worry and pulled at the boy's collar to look at the mark. It stood out inky black against his pale skin, covering the angry irritated bite marks that had yet to heal.

Naruto looked away. "Not all of it." It wasn't a lie if you counted the fact that the pervy sage was the one who set her on the path of fuinjutsu "I had help from others help too." Naruto glanced at their Sensei. "You've met Arashi chan, right?"

The man leaned away from his student's shoulder and leveled the blonde with a questioning gaze. "I was going to ask about her."

Naruto pursed her lips for a moment. The man's curiosity was really annoying, and she could tell that her special clone had piqued his interest. "She helped with gathering the info."

"Who is Arashi? You haven't mentioned her before." Sakura interrupted.

The blonde thought for a moment and decided to give her team the truth albeit, a cryptic one. "She's my way to helping the Hokage more closely with the info I have." It was up to them to figure that one out. She wondered who would make the connection first. "Anyway, Kakashi sensei? Can you take that to the old man after your done with it? He, ah… needs my unofficial report."

Sasuke and Sakura shared a dubious look as Kakashi stood straighter and looked down at the blonde in front of him. "I'm not happy that you kept this to yourself, Naruto. I understand that it was a mission, but we could have helped." His unspoken 'I could have helped' was load and clear.

The girl looked down as she shuffled in her spot. "I'm sorry."

…

By the time their sensei left the small dorm, it was late evening. All three genin had settled into their bunks, loving the feel of a mattress beneath them compared to the hard ground they had slept on the nights previous. Soon the room was filled with the deep steady breathing of the sleeping children.

But one could not sleep. Just like the night before, Sasuke's mind was running. Tossing around the words spoken by the blonde. From a young age, she had used deceit to protect herself. Why? Naruto had glossed over that question and went into the topic of her godfather. Rolling it all up so nicely in her efforts to help move information from this unnamed man, who Kakashi seemed to know, to the Hokage.

It just didn't seem to fit, though. She could have acted just as stupid as a girl. He knew plenty of those. So, what else was she hiding?

It couldn't have been because she was an orphan. There were many children within the village who had lost their families and as far as he knew, no one else had to fake their gender for protection. The village took great care of them. He knew that much from experience. No. That wasn't quite right either, was it?

The boy looked across the room to the bunk the girls slept. Even in the dark, he could see the tufts of golden hair peeking out from the top bunk.

He'd always thought the way people had treated Naruto was well deserved. After all, the boy he had known was an idiot of a troublemaker. But that wasn't true anymore. So, the boy reevaluated the looks, the sneers, the cruel world. He could only come up with one conclusion.

Naruto was not treated like the other orphans at all.

Why?

What was so bad about the little girl that made grown men look at her as if all they wanted to do was murder her but feared to do so?

It was these thoughts that the boy fell asleep to, his body finally overpowering his confused mind. And because of this, he saw her in his dreams. The young beautiful woman he had seen before, standing within a crimson sky. Her hair, a molten gold, blazing around her as she stood proudly. Ignoring shadows around them and their bile-filled glares directed her way. Her hands reaching out towards him. Her azure eyes sparkling behind unshed tears. Her lips curled into a smile only for him.

…

Awareness came slowly, pulling the girl from the pleasant images of her mind to the stark silence around her. 'Mom must have gone out early' she thought as she snuggled her head deeper into the pillow, expecting to smell the lavender of her mother's favorite laundry soap, only to be hit by a stark bland sent. 'that's not…'

She sprung up in bed, rosy pink curls sticking out in every direction. The last week returning to her like a slap to the face and she wished to sink back into the lovely dream that was now only a faint memory. Falling back onto the mattress she turned her head to see if the others were awake.

The sight that greeted her made her blink in surprise. On the small space of floor between the two bunk beds sat she fellow genin, cross-legged and facing each other. Naruto seemed comfortable in the well-practiced position. Her breathing slow and even. And any worry lines that had grown on her face in the last few days were now smoothed out. Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed to be concentrating to keep his body still and breaths even. There was a twitch to his brow and the pink-haired girl could tell that he was having difficulty with the meditation that Naruto had obviously woken him for.

It was discussed last night that the boy needed this to keep the curse mark in check. Something about the original chakra used in its construction and the changes Naruto had to make. Sakura had not studied anything about fuinjutsu before, other then what was taught in the academy. So, it was hard to follow the explanation given. Even after the blonde had pulled out a scroll to illustrate what she had done. The scroll had later gone to their sensei.

Sakura stood quietly to grab her few things and walked to the door. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Naruto had her eyes open now and was watching her leave, a questioning expression on her face.

With a slight wave, Sakura shut the door behind her. She didn't know what to say to her blonde teammate. She hadn't spoken much the evening before as Naruto explained her reasonings for pretending. She didn't hate Naruto for what she did. She didn't think she could. But that boy she had started to see as a friend had changed yet again. And even though Naruto insisted that she was still the same, Sakura couldn't treat her as such.

Her feet guided her to the restroom as her mind wandered through the words spoken last night, trying to understand the blonde's unspoken answers. 'Something happened, and I… I had to do some growing up overnight.' A frown marred her face as the words repeated in her mind. "What happened to you, Naruto?"

…

'It's impossible!' The girl thought to herself as she lifted her chopsticks to her mouth. Only to stop when the blonde across from her slammed an empty bowl down with the growing number of dirty dishes on the table. The bit of food slipped from the tips of her utensils as her grip loosened.

"Naruto, Learn some manners!" The girl tilted her head to the side to look at her pink-haired rival. Sakura was chastising her blonde teammate like normal but Ino could see a difference. The feeling behind the green-eyed girl's words did not hold the same venom it once did when directed towards the Uzumaki. There was the resigned annoyance, yes, but… there almost seemed to be a protective underlayer to it.

"I know plenty of manners" Ino looked back to the blonde in front of her. Another half-eaten bowl was in his… her hand.

'There's no possible way that could be a girl!' Ino sighed and pushed her half-eaten plate to her left, leaving it for Choji to finish. Oh, how she wanted to talk about it! To question Naruto about the sham! Her thoughts turned to the evening her father sat her down and lectured her about her family's techniques. Their uses in interrogation were incredible and she wished she could employ them this instant.

Shikamaru had told her that he had figured it out in the academy. He didn't go into detail about it though. Saying that despite how loud the blonde was, she was also a very privet person. And that any information he had on her; he would not share without Naruto's consent.

She wasn't stupid.

She got the hint.

Don't talk about it.

Arge! This juicy bit of information was just begging to be released! It almost physically hurt to not let the words out. Her mind was brought back to the present conversation when a new voice joined in. The abrasive posturing of the Inuzuka heir jested with the others and Ino found it impossible to stay any longer.

As she reached the door a lazy looking chunin walked into the mess hall.

"Attention all chunin exam participants." He drawled "The second exam has officially ended. All successful teams are to gather immediately. Don't be late." The man then turned on his heel and left the room.