The next morning found the members of Team Seven up bright and early at their usual spot. All three of the Genin were amped and ready to go. Even if it didn't show on the face of at least one of them. They were so ready to improve their skills that they had already come to an agreement. If Kakashi didn't show within an, they would start to train themselves to at least get warmed up. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that would not come to pass. Their sensei arrived, by his standards, quite early for once. Ready to train his students.

"Glad to see you are all here. Are you all ready?" Kakashi smiled as he received looks of determination from each of his Genin. "Good. With the Third Exam being an important staple in the careers of all shinobi, I plan to train you all as hard as possible. I want to see you three succeed here, and I want to make sure I did everything I could to help make that possible for you all."

Sasuke smirked as Kamiko and Sakura smiled. The three of them knew that Kakashi was serious. There was no maybes about this. Their sensei was going to do right by them, and they trusted him. "Thanks Kakashi-sensei. We won't let you down," Sakura said on behalf of the team.

"Alright. This first week we will focus on strategies and working on this teams weak points. For that we need to work on your individual weaknesses as well." The silver haired man looked at each Genin in turn. "Usual I'd point out what each of you need to work on. Tell you where you need to better yourself. This time though, I want you guys to tell me what you think you are lacking in. So who would like to start?"

There was a moment's pause of uncertainty. It was taking them each a second to think on themselves before a hand final was raised. Kakashi turned with an encouraging eye smile. "Go ahead Sakura."

The pink haired girl looked at her hands and took a breath. You're here now girl. Play time is officially over. Time to really be serious about this. "Okay. I hate to admit, but I have a lot of weaknesses. In comparison to Sasuke and Kamiko, along with Team 10 and 8, I am physically weak. I don't have the strength to last in a straight up fight with most other shinobi. Not only that, but I have really low stamina. My body would tire out too fast in a battle with pretty much anybody if it drags on for too long. Taking a lot of hits isn't an option for either. Currently, I'm not exactly built to go up against anybody that hits harder than Ino. I fought a bit in the forest, but even then I was barely any good. None of my attacks did any good, and some guys found me to be a pretty lame punching bag that didn't last. Physically I'm just not up to the challenge."

Sakura shook her head clenching her eyes shut. Her teammates' and sensei's attention were completely on her, but she barely noticed as she continued talking. Saying anything that came to mind. "There's also my lack of jutsu. I know no ninjutsu or genjutsu currently. The amount of chakra I have is small as well. Even if I knew a bunch of jutsus, I'd be out of chakra after a handful of moves." After that the girl went silent. Seeming to look deeper into herself. Trying to find even more problems with herself.

Kakashi nodded as he walked over and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder making her look at him. "You seem to be completely aware of you shortcomings. Yes, there are quite a bit more than anyone would hope, but it's alright. Now you know what you need to focus on. That's going to make training easier in the long run. Also, there's no need for you to compare yourself to everyone else from your graduation class. You are all different and excel at different things. Just a matter of doing it." Eye smiling, he patted her shoulder and turned to his other two students. "So who's next?"

Sasuke leaned against a tree and glared at the others. "This is a waste of time. I have no weaknesses. The only shortcoming I have is that I'm still not strong enough to complete my goals. That's all there is to it." Kamiko resisted the urge to puke as she gave the young Uchiha a somewhat disgusted look. Kakashi just chuckled while Sakura looked at her crush with uncertainty. All three of them sadly knew he was serious.

"If that's what you want to believe Sasuke, so be it." The young Uchiha's glare intensified at the vague suggestion that he was wrong or weak. "Alright then. That just leaves you now doesn't it."

Kamiko sighed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah. I guess it does." The girl looked at Sakura and smiled slightly but kindly. "Well, even though I don't have a lot of weaknesses." Turning to look at Sasuke she sneered, "I obviously don't believe that I have none."

Reaching into the pocket of her hoody, the young girl pulled out her large sword. Wielding it easily in one hand as she looked it up and down. "Currently I may have one of the Seven Legendary Swords from Kiri, but I don't have any real kenjutsu training. Holding this sword is no issue. Swinging it around is a piece of cake to me, but that's it. I don't know how to really fight like a sword wielder. I have the basics down, but that's about it. It's sort of the same thing when it comes to taijutsu. I know I pack a punch, and can take some heavy hits. Just don't have a style or any rhythm. Mm, not really good with genjutsu either. Haven't been able to cast any, and getting trapped in them is a bit… yeah."

"I see." The Jonin closed his eye as he thought. After a moment he clapped his hands together. "This is a good start for you three. With this information in mind, I can add side training for each one of you. For today though you'll all be working on chakra exercises. All of you completed the tree walking exercise during the mission to the Wave. Now we'll be moving onto the next step. Water Walking."

The three nodded as their sensei walked past them to the large pond not to far from them. As he neared the water's edge, keeping a steady stride, he walked right on to the surface of the water. He walked a few feet out into the pond before turning back to face his students.

"The three of you saw this before during our first fight with Zabuza. This is a more advanced version of the Tree Walking technique I trained you all in. This will give you all an even greater control over your chakra. Like the Tree Walking technique, you have to emit a constant stream of chakra from the bottom of the your feet. The only difference being the amount of chakra that needs to be emitted changes constantly with the constant motion of the water beneath you. If you are unable to, you will fall in."

"But," Sakura raised her hand as she looked at her sensei with slight amazement. "But how will we know how much chakra to use? If it's always changing then…"

"The same way you figured out the Tree Walking. You'll just eventually figure it out."

Kakashi waved at the area in front of him as he backed towards the center of the pond. "Now then, your goal is to get to me and back without falling in. Start when you're ready. Good luck."

Sakura groaned at Kakashi's none answer and took a step forward. She looked over at Sasuke and noticed that he was watching her closely. The girl quickly turned back before her blush became too apparent. The feeling that he might finally be noticing her for a female being a little much for her.

On the other hand that was only slightly true. Sasuke was noticing the girl slightly more. Only he wasn't noticing her in any romantic way. The boy remembered what happened in Wave. While he was forced to work all day to get Tree Walking down, Sakura had accomplished it with ease on her first attempt. Watching could be beneficial in the end.

Taking a deep breathe, Sakura prepared herself before taking a step out onto the surface of the pond. She slowly made her way towards Kakashi with wobbly steps. Her hands waved about her as she got closer.

Sakura got closer and closer to Kakashi with every step. Just as she was starting to get comfortable with it there was a splash nearby. At first she ignored it. Sasuke was watching her and she was have way to Kakashi. Nothing was gonna stop her. That was until the back of her heel suddenly sunk in.

She failed as she started to lose her balance and more of her foot sunk in. Her panicking distracting her, Sakura ultimately lost control and plunged in to the pond. The girls head popped up after a moment and looked around. "What... what happened?" The pink haired girl yelped as a large rock splashed into the water next to her head.

"That's what happened," Kakashi said matter of factly. "You were doing quite well with keeping a handle on your chakra flow with the water. The thing is, ponds don't have as much movement in them as say a river. Meaning this is a relatively easy spot to walk on."

"What does that have to do with her falling in?" Sasuke crossed his arms as he looked at the Jônin.

"The lack of constant or radical movement in this pond means that there is less a person needs to adjust to. You won't need to fluctuate your chakra as much to stay atop the surface. With that said, Sakura was quickly getting the hang of it. By the time she made it to me, she probably would've been able to walk back no problem." Kakashi eye smiled at his students as Kamiko gave Sakura hand in climbing out of the pond. "So I decided to force extra movement near her by throwing in rocks."

"That caused the water to shift more than I was ready for," Sakura said in understanding as she stood. "I wasn't prepared so I was too slow in changing my flow if chakra to keep standing. That totally makes sense." Kakashi congratulated the girl on getting it making her smile.

"With the information you all have now, let's get back to training. By the way Sakura, you wouldn't happen to have extra clothes would you?" Kakashi smiled at the drenched girl as she shook her head. "I see. Kamiko?"

The redhead sighed as she took out a scroll and waved it around. "No worries. If her clothes ain't dry by the end of this then I have her I guess." Kamiko walked over and set the scroll down at the base of a nearby tree. She waved Sakura over and spoke once the girl was near enough. "I kinda doubt my clothes will fit you so let's avoid you having to wear them. Take off your clothes."

"What!?" Sakura blushed widely at Kamiko's demand. "How could you ask me to do that right now? Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun are standing right there!"

"Look, chances are you're going to fall in again. Clothes don't dry if you keep wetting them." Kamiko crossed her arms. "Just hang them up on this tree's branches. Obviously keep your panties and bra on. Not like sensei is going to lose his mind over your body anyways. He's like twice your age."

Sakura glanced at Kakashi before looking back at the other girl. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt indecisively. "I mean… I guess you're right. But what about…"

"Just put your clothes up to hang," Sasuke said as he laid his own clothes down next to the same tree. He had removed his shirt and shorts along with his sandals and stood in only his boxers. "No one here is interested in looking at your body. Especially me. Get over yourself, and let's just get this over with."

The pink haired girl flinched slightly inside as Sasuke walked back to the pond. Once he was at the pond she unzipped her shirt, and with a bit of a struggle, slid off her shorts. The girl hung them up on the highest branch she reach naturally and placed her sandals under. The entire time she looked hurt. Tears held back at the edges of her eyes as she shook slightly.

"Sorry," she whispered as she turned to start training.

Tch, dick. Kamiko reached out and grab Sakura's shoulder. She made the green eyed girl face as she then grabbed her face. "Hey. Don't do that. You don't let his words just hurt you like that. You're more than just that dude's opinion of you." Kamiko brushed away the girl's unshed tears. "I get that you like him. That doesn't mean that he should affect you this way."

"I know," Sakura chimed as more tears threatened. "I just can't help it." She clutched at her chest. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Kamiko sighed. "Look, its alright to have feelings for that guy. Just when we're training, focus only on that. You doing this training is for you. Plus, you look cute. Teme just doesn't know what he's talking about." She slapped the other girl's shoulder with a chuckle and thumbs up.

Sakura groaned but smiled softly. "I'm not fishing for compliments from you Kamiko… but thanks." Turning around, the pink haired girl ran towards and right onto the pond. Her confidence slightly recovered enough to keep going.

Kamiko stretched as she watched her teammates take their hands at walking on water. Dealing with those two can be so draining sometimes. Sasuke way more than Sakura though. Sakura's not too bad I guess. Doesn't hurt to back her up every now and then… Just hope she knows not to get in my way when it matters. For a moment the girl's thoughts slipped to her trapped mother. She placed a hand on her stomach as she thought over what happened for the millionth time. The emptiness she felt each time she tried to feel the Fox out. It hurts.

Shaking her head of those thoughts and deciding that it was best not to just be standing around without doing something, the young girl strode towards her sensei. To the awe and slight dismay of Sakura and Sasuke respectively, Kamiko walked over to Kakashi with ease. No stumbling. No hesitation. No need to undress.

Slight smiles passed between the two ninja as they stood. For a while they both watched the other two Genin try to get a handle on their training. Both content not to really do anything themselves. Though not for long.

"So," Kakashi started with a glance at his student. "Let's see what training we can get you to do."

The day soon ended on the Team Seven's first round of training. Neither Sasuke or Sakura were able to fully get Water Walking completely down, but they both made positive stride in it. Kamiko on the other hand was made to was made to do more physical work.

Seeing as she already mastered Water Walking at some point, Kakashi saw it fit to have the girl do regular exercises until her teammates were done. Nothing that she couldn't handle, but nonetheless tiring. Push-ups, sit-ups, laps, planks, handstands, handstand laps, etc. All Kamiko did, she did while staying on the lake.

Now Sakura and Sasuke sat next to the pond feeling completely drained as Kamiko made laps around the pond on her hands. "That was a good first day of training you three. The two of you made a considerable amount of progress," Kakashi said with an eye smile to Sasuke and Sakura. He turned the smile to the girl still on the pond. "You also did, and are still doing, well Kamiko. You can stop and come join us now."

"Thanks," Kamiko called as she jump to her feet and made her way back. She was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, but in otherwise no worse for wear. "What's next, or are we done for today?"

"We're done training for today, but before you all leave, let's talk about the Third Exam. Me and the other Jônin with teams in the Exam were given the full specifics for the test."

"What do you mean by the full specifics?" Sakura tilted her head as she asked.

"Hm, well the three of you know that the Third Exam is tournament. A single elimination team battle tournament. Well how do you think these battles will be fought?" Kakashi received three contemplative looks as he continued on. "The answer to that is something you won't know until just before it begins. There are two ways this battle can be fought. The first is one on one. A member from each team will enter the stage and fight until one or both of them are no longer able to. At which point it's time to changes members. This is done until one team has lost all three members."

Sasuke rubbed his chin as he nodded his head. "That makes sense. Seems pretty straight forward as well." Kamiko nodded in agreement.

"What about switching opponents," Sakura asked. "Can you only switch out when a team member is lost? What are the conditions to losing?"

Holding up one finger, the silver haired Jônin spoke. "Yes and no. While the only time you can change people is when someone is defeated, you don't have to be on the losing side to do so. As long as the battle has ended, both sides has two minutes to change out members." He put up a second finger. "As for the conditions for losing, there are five."

"That's a lot of ways to lose," Kamiko grumbled.

"Maybe, but they are pretty simple. The first and most obvious is if one of you lose consciousness. The second is if one of the contenders forfeits the fight. There's no need to keep fighting if don't feel you can continue against or weaken your opponent for your teammates. Your teammates can also forfeit for you. If one of them throws in a white flag you all will be given, who ever is fighting will be taken out of the battle. That's the third way. The proctor of the Exam can also call the fight if he believes a life is in danger, or that if one of the fighters can't continue. This is in case of Genin stubbornness. The final way is through outside interference. That will lead to the one who got help immediate disqualification. Any questions?" Three heads were shaken to Kakashi's pleasure. He didn't feel that there was any need for further explanation.

"It all seems pretty straight forward I guess." Sakura hummed as she thought. "I guess that would mean the second way we would battle would be in a single three on three match. I mean that's what I would assume logically speaking."

"That would be correct. That type of battle will carry the same loss rules as one on one's will. Only difference being no one can forfeit for another, and there will be two more proctors to monitor the whole field. What type of fight you have will be decided by coin toss from the proctor. Whichever side it lands on will decide the battle's type."

There was a soft chuckle. "I don't know why, but that honestly seems kinda cool to me." Kamiko smirked as she thought of their future bouts. I like how it just might affect the whole Exam. Sasuke grunted while Sakura just looked at the other girl.

"Glad it amuses one of you. That was all the information I was given on the Final Exam. You three are released for the rest of the day. Same spot tomorrow go it?" After he was sure all of his students understood, Kakashi swiftly left them to their own devices.

Not feeling the need to to stay any longer, Sasuke soon followed suit and left, leaving the two girls alone. Something that left Sakura just the slightest bit uncomfortable. While she didn't think they would fight again, the pink haired girl didn't really want to risk the chances of it happening. Excusing herself politely she too took her leave.

Kamiko sighed once she was alone. The girl was slightly annoyed at how quickly the other two Genin disbursed. Neither even tried to hang back and do anything. She still wasn't a big fan of them, but she knew that they needed to interact better with each other. The Exam seemed like it would count on it.

"Quite the team you got there. You guys must be the best of friends."

There was no hesitation. Twirling around the redhead unleashed several shuriken towards the sound of the familiar voice. She also drew her sword quickly and prepared for a fight. That was until she felt a pat on the back.

"Wow, nice reflexes you got there, but how about we not resort to violence and talk." Kamiko turned her head and glared at the smiling face of the man from the other night. "Come on. No need to be so defensive. I'm here to help."

Eyes narrowed. "And how pray tell can you help me? With all the offense in the world, I don't even know who the hell you are."

The white haired man frowned. "Sadly I believe you when you say that. The village really doesn't have much to say when it comes to the three of us. Not much positive that is." He sighed and shook his head. "Would it help if I said I used to be teammates with a certain snake?"

Freeze. That's exactly what Kamiko though the best course of action was at the moment. The man didn't need to say much more. She fully understood what he meant. A former teammate of Orochimaru. One of the other two Legendary Sannin. No big deal. Just someone equally as strong as that bastard standing behind me.

Neither person moved. The man waiting to see how'd the girl react, and the girl trying to figure out what to do. She wasn't a fool. She remembered how her battle with the Snake Sannin went. No matter how she looked at it, the girl was lucky to be alive. A fight now would most likely end up the same.

"Jiraiya," the white haired man suddenly said.

Kamiko blinked. "...What?"

"My name is Jiraiya. You seemed to have forgotten, so I'm telling you again. Like i said, I'm here to help you." Jiraiya stepped away from the girl giving her space to face him.

"Okay…" There was a bit if uncertainty. Kamiko didn't know if she could trust him. "So you're not, like, a spy then?"

"Nope. I am. A Spymaster actually. Just Konoha's Spymaster. Trust me. I'm really here to help like I said. I wouldn't personally be here otherwise."

Kamiko made a slight 'oh' sound as she faced the man. She didn't really have much to go on, but she had little to no choice in the matter. The girl would have to believe in the man. For now. "I guess I'll believe you." She slowly put her sword by her side and placed a hand on her hip. "So how can the Spymaster of Konoha help me? Or more importantly, why?"

Jiraiya nodded. "I guess the why would be very important to someone like you. You could say I have a close relationship with people who cared deeply about you. That in and of itself is enough reason for me to help you. If you don't believe that, both the Hokage and your tenet can vouch for me."

The girl was hardly surprised about the man's knowledge of her status. Even if very few people knew who the real jinchuriki of the Kyūbi was, it would be nothing for Jiraiya to figure out if he wasn't lying. You don't call someone a master of anything for nothing. Unfortunately his words struck a chord. "Ask my tenet? She's more than just my tenet. Not that I expect anyone else to understand that."

Hands raised apologetically. "Gotcha, gotcha. Didn't mean any offense by it. I personally have nothing else to call the it currently."

Kamiko rolled her eyes. "Yeah sure. At the very least you could've just called her the Fox. Jeez." She looked at the ground, feeling slightly saddened as she thought of the locked away women. "Not like I can ask her anyways. I've been blocked off from her by that teammate of yours."

"Then let's fix that then," Jiraiya said with a smile. "I mean, that's actually what I'm here for."

"W-wait. What do you mean?"

The Sannin held out his right hand to Kamiko. "I told you that I am here to help you, and that's what I am going to do. I'm not just a Spymaster Kamiko. I'm also a Fuinjutsu Master. A Master of the Sealing Arts." Pride shone clear in the man's words.

Kamiko gaped. Truly unable to believe what she was hearing. "No. You're lying to me. How can I believe that from a guy I just met today? How the hell can i even trust that you are who you say you are?!" Hands balled into fist. The young girl was feeling pissed. "Do you think that this of some sort of joke or something?! Who the hell do you think I am?!"

"Wow, wow! Calm down now." Jiraiya tried to placate the girl. "I'm not lying. What would I have to gain from lying to you here?" Kamiko hesitated as she tried to figure that out. "Look, I'll do it right now. Whatever Orochimaru put over your seal, I doubt it's anything that I can't remove with ease. It would be off in a matter of seconds. Do you not want that?"

"Of course I do!" The white haired man took a deep breath. He stepped forward with open hands making the girl take a step back. She immediately brought her sword up in a defensive position. Kamiko was confused and ready to fight. She had no idea what she was dealing with. "I don't trust you…"

"What do you have to lose Kamiko? There's a chance that no one else can get that off of you in this village. Not even the Hokage is as well versed in fuinjutsu as me. I don't need you to trust me, but you need to give me a chance. I can help."

She bit her lip in frustration. There wasn't an ounce of trust to give. There was on the other hand desperation. Desperation in knowing… hoping that he was telling the truth. Kamiko just wanted her mother. As he said, what did she have to lose?

"…If you're lying…"

"I'm not."

"…Right now..?"

"Right now."

…Dear Kami I'm an idiot for this. Gritting her teeth, Kamiko slowly lowered her blade. She took a hesitant step forward as she glared at the man. Her mind a flurry of emotions and thoughts as she lifted her shirt to reveal her seal.

Taking that as her compliance, Jiraiya inspected the seal close. After a few seconds of studying it he had a fully understanding of it. Hm, I see. He placed an odd seal over an even seal to disrupt the flow of chakra between Kamiko and the Kyūbi. Any connection they would've made would be blocked off by this. Definitely something the Snake would do. Nothing I can't handle. For a second longer he inspected the rest of the seal to ensure that it was holding up and was satisfied to see no issues with it. With a nod he looked up at the girl vibrant. "I've got it," he said simply.

There was a sharp intake of air. Kamiko didn't dare to believe just yet, but hope grew regardless. Swallowing She nodded her head softly. "Do it. I'm ready."

"This might hurt a bit. Also, brace yourself. All of the Fox's chakra will feel like it's rushing over you once I release it. I don't know how use to it you are, but practically all of it will bear down on you for a second. Are you sure you're ready?" Determined blue eyes was the answer he was given. Right. Pumping chakra into his hands, Jiraiya's fingers lit up just like Orochimaru's did when he first placed the seal. In a swift motion he slammed his hand into the girl's stomach.

Pain. For a mere second that was all the redhead knew. Her body suddenly felt like it had been set ablaze. Every cell in her body seemed to scream in tortured agony. All the air was gone. Breathing was impossible. The scream she wanted to my unleash unable to escape. For a second that felt like a million years, Kamiko suffered. Until finally it passed.

Jiraiya slowly wrapped his arm around the girl's body as it went rigid and then limp. He lifted her into his arms in a princess carry before looking at her. I should probably take her somewhere other than here. No idea how long she'll be out for. The aged man took off with a sigh after a moment's thought. Sheesh this kid was a bigger hassle to work with than I thought she'd be.

Kamiko gasped as air filled her lungs once again. Her eyes were shut tight against the pain she had been feeling. She tried to open them only to shut them against the harshness of the light. Phantom aches racked her to the core. It was almost too much to handle.

The girl tried to relax and let the pain slide away. To get away from it. Any and all motion tore that away from her. At this point she was just happy to be breathing. Even if even that act causes her pain.

Kami I'm gonna deck that guy next time I see him... If I can that is. Again the eyes tries to open. "So bright," Kamiko groaned. Suddenly the area around her seemed to cool down. The girl even felt something soft and familiar brush her cheek. She stopped breathing.

Kamiko's disbelief gave way bit by bit before it was finally shattered to pieces. The most wonderful sound filtered through the air. "It's okay now. You can open your eyes Kamiko. The light won't bother you any longer."

Opening her eyes fully, Kamiko looked straight up at two large red tails blocking the light. She mustered all the energy she could to roll over to her stomach as she groaned. Staring forward her vision began to blur. The sight of Kurama standing before her with a small smirk on her face was too beautiful to behold.

Kamiko pushed up on to her knees and stretched out her hands before her. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Kura… chan."

Gracefully sliding forward, Kurama slid her hands over Kamiko's and up the young girl's arms before pulling her into an embrace. She allowed the girl's hands to wrap around her and grip the back of her dress tightly. Her tail caressed the young Uzumaki's back softly as she shook. "You aren't about to cry are you Kamiko? You're much better than that now."

Kamiko buried her face into the Fox's chest. "I'm not crying," she muffled. "I just… I just… I missed you so much. I didn't think someone could take you from me like that. Not having you there with me was like having a piece of me cut away from me. I hated it."

"Shh, it's fine now. We together again and that's all that matters." Kurama rubbed the back of the girl's head as they held each other. Silence envelopes the two females. Not a noise to be heard besides the occasional sniffle. For awhile it was peaceful. Eventually the younger woman pulled away with head hung in shame. "What's wrong? Is something the matter," Kurama asked with a tilted head.

At first there was no answer. Just more silence filling the air. Then, suddenly, Kamiko bowed her head and placed them against her hands. She pressed her body as low to the ground as she possibly could. The girl spoke just as the Fox went to lift her. "I'm sorry… I'm so very sorry. All of this was my fault. If I had more control this wouldn't have happened. There's no excuse for what I did nor what I said to you. I was just so angry. So… frustrated I couldn't stand it. Nothing can excuse what I said. I had no right to say what I did. You've practically raised me. I'm the last person who should talk to you like that. You are my mother and I respect you more than anyone. Can you please forgive me? I'll do anything if you could just forgive me."

Prostrated as she was, Kamiko could not see the sad expression on Kurama's face. As she looked down at the young woman and sighed, her gaze slightly hardened. "You could have died you know that? I trained you to handle so much of my chakra. Told you how detrimental going beyond that could be. Yet you still did it. In that state you could have killed your teammates. It's honestly a miracle that you didn't. And when I told you how reckless you had been, you more than questioned me, you completely disrespected me. Spoke on things you have no real idea about."

Kamiko pressed her body even closer to the ground with every word. Shame coursing through her. There was nothing she could say. A hand gently reached around her face and pulled it up off the ground slowly. Soon glowing red eyes bore into misty blue ones.

"The things you said can't just be forgotten you know. My chakra may have been heavily influencing your actions, but that doesn't change that those words came from within you. Even if you don't realise it yourself." The young woman's eyes dropped. "Don't do that. You look at me young lady."

"I'm sorry," Kamiko said in a hushed whisper as she looked back up. "Please don't…"

A finger put to the lips cut the child off. Lips lightly brushed her forehead to her surprise. "No more of that. Like I said, it will not be forgotten, but it will be forgiven."

Eyes widened. "You… really? You really forgive me?" Kurama nodded with a soft smile on her face. Kamiko closed her eyes and dropped her head. "Thank you… thank you so much. I couldn't handle you not forgiving me."

"No need to worry about anything," Kurama softly chuckled. "What kind of mother would I be if I couldn't forgive my daughter over something like this? Young kits like you make errors. You've never done that before, and it was started with… well it would be quite a stretch to call it the purest of intentions." That brought a small laugh from Kamiko's mouth and made the Fox smile. "Just promise me that you will try not to do something so reckless again. That is all I ask of you Miko-chan."

Shocking Kurama, Kamiko surged up with a sudden burst of energy so that they were face to face. "Of course! I swear to you, I'll do everything I can to avoid doing that again!" A strong sense of conviction shone through her eyes as she looked at her mother figure.

"Thank you." A sigh of content slid from Kurama's lips as her eyes softened. She ruffled the other girl's hair with a smile. "You should head back. The man who released the seal on us. He's trustworthy. Someone you can learn a lot from if you're willing."

"You know him?"

Kurama shook her head. "No, not personally. You parents did though. He was quite close to them. Your father more so than your mother but still. He's exactly who he says he is, and is someone who will do right by you."

"I see… I'll try to work with him or something like that." Kamiko grabbed and held Kurama's hands as she sniffed. "I'm glad to have you back Kura-chan."

"Glad to be back dear." The Fox squeezed Kamiko's hands before giving her a light shove and pushing her out of her own mindscape. Kurama looked around as she pulled her tails back to her. She took notice of how the tree she inhabited looked. While she was cut away from Kamiko, everything seemed to be slowly dying and breaking apart. Now it all seemed to have grown back to its form lusciousness. The only change was the size of the tree. It had shrunk considerably. While still large enough to go sides home, it was no longer the spectacle it once was. You are such a good child, but even guilt can take this all away from you.

Jiraiya lazily flipped through his notes as he sat at the table in Kamiko's kitchen. He had brought the girl home promptly after she passed out. The place she is most familiar with seemed like the best place to set her. The girl's unconscious form currently laid in the bed of her room tucked away.

For awhile the aged man sat by her side. Waiting to see if the girl would soon wake. Eventually he made his way to her kitchen to wait. To pass the time he was checking the notes of recent 'research' material he had acquired. Thinking on what might be next in his series.

He was reaching the end of his notes when he heard one of the other chairs at the table slide across the floor. Looking up, he met the red tinged eyes of the young Uzumaki he had been waiting on. "You were out for quite awhile there."

Kamiko shrugged and leaned back into her chair. "I lost a lot of time after Orochimaru originally placed the seal on me. No surprise that I lost a good amount from you taking it off of me." Jiraiya nodded as it made sense.

A silenced came between them as they sat at the table. It was a long one. Just a silence that let them both settle in for a much more calmer conversation than they had had previously.

A clone appeared to the side of Kamiko as she clasped her hands in front of her just before she started speaking. "I guess I should start off by apologizing for the way I reacted to you earlier. Just didn't have anything other than your word to go on. Not something I like to do. Plus, don't usually get that emotional."

"No need for that." Jiraiya waved the apology off nonchalantly. "You reacted to the situation perfectly fine. All's well that ends well anyways. So the Kyūbi vouched for me I assume?"

"Yeah," Kamiko nodded. "Kura-chan said your were trustworthy."

"Kura-chan eh? You seem to be quite fond of the Kyūbi."

A small smile graced the young girl's face. "I am. She's is a mother to me. When the Third wasn't around to check on me, she would make sure I didn't get into too much trouble. Taught me most of what I know about the world today. There's no one I respect more than her. So if you would, here name is Kurama when you speak to me."

Jiraiya nodded. "That's something I can accommodate. That's quite the bond they share. Better than anyone could've asked for honestly. "Though you speak as though I'll be around enough for that to matter."

Suddenly Kamiko's clone placed two cups of tea down in front of the two. The girl thanked the clone before releasing it and gingerly sipping her tea. "She said you were close with both of my parents. That you would do right by me, and I can learn a lot from you. Kinda gives me the feeling that you will."

Jiraiya rolled his cup of tea around in his hand. Wasn't really interested in drinking it, but thanked the girl nonetheless. "Hmm. That is true. I was very close to your mother and father. The two of them were like children to me. There's a lot I could tell you about them." Watched the girl and was surprised at how little reaction she showed to his words. "Are you not interested?"

The redhead shrugged. "It's been a long time since I felt the need to learn more about my parentage. Currently everything about my mother Kura-chan is willing to tell me if I wish to know. As for my father, she said that would come with an inheritance that he left to me. Didn't say when I'd receive, just said eventually. From her, that's good enough for me."

"And if you don't receive that inheritance?"

"I will. Do you not have anything else I could learn from you then?"

She's content with her current knowledge. "I guess there's a few things I can teach you, but that all depends on your capabilities. Something we can discuss another time if your interested." Kamiko nodded. "Well then, I'll be off. I have some more researching to do before the sun sets fully." With a goofy grin and a giggle, Jiraiya quickly took off through the nearest window.

The kitchen quickly grew quiet. Kamiko sat at the table as she slowly sipped away at the remainder of her tea. That man…

"Quite interesting isn't he," Kurama chuckled. "You would be a fool not to train with him."

That would require him to be interested in doing so. Didn't seem like he was in the mood to do anything other than talk about my parentage. The girl sighed.

"It'll be fine. Trust me, he'll train you at some point. I just know it."

I guess. She looked out the window that Jiraiya had kept out of and noted the time of day. There was just enough time to take care if the itch she had in her fingers. I'm going to get to work. I'll come back in after?

"Hm, you're always welcomed Miko-chan."

Right. Standing from the chair, Kamiko cleaned the cup she drunk from and the one Jiraiya did not. She then put them away before retreating to the living. Rummaging through a closet that was in it yielded an easle, a large blank canvas, paint, and a brush. Kamiko placed them down in the middle of the room and set up. Once ready with a brush in hand and a color already chosen, a smile graced her lips. "And so I strike…"

…

…

…

… This is such a drag…

Shikamaru groaned as he laid in bed. The first day of training was over, and the young Nara heir already felt like he'd done too much. He just wanted to sleep until the Exam was already done and over with. Something the boy knew wasn't feasibly possible for a completely healthy person.

Rolling on to his side he looked at his nightstand. Barely anything was on it besides a lamp and his head protector. Other than that there was a singular photo. It showed a young Shikamaru and Kamiko sitting at a table. They had just gotten cake for Kamiko's birthday, but had been talking before it.

"You know what I want?"

"I don't know… cake?"

"Yeah!... No wait! That's not what I meant! I meant what I wish for!"

"Still thinking cake, but what is it?"

"To be the leader of a village someday. I'm gonna grow big an strong just like the old man."

"That sounds like a lot of work. Good luck with that."

"Hmph. You'll see. Cause you'll be right by my side won't you?"

"Ugh. Prove it and I'll think about it."

Again Shikamaru groaned. "That girl still has way too much energy for me." The sound of his mother calling his name slowly pulled the boy out of his bed to go eat.

A/N: And there ends another. Generally chapters are gonna take this long to come out right now. One a month is the goal, but it'll probably end of taking longer due to time constraints and filtering out other story ideas. Hopefully you all were able to enjoy this chapter to some degree. Until next time my friends~

Rapidazh: Thanks for the heads idea what happened there