I'm back! First, my apologies for such a prolonged delay from writing, but I'm back, and that's what matters. So without any further ado, here's the newest chapter for Unmasked!

I own nothing, as always.

Chapter 7- Strength of the Newest Generation

Training Ground 7- Ten Days Later

Standing before the two men assisting in their training, the fifth generation members of team 7 mentally prepared themselves for whatever exercise the two had in store for them. For the past week and a half, every time the three of them were together, Kakashi and Jiraiya would have them run exercises and scenarios that pushed their teamwork to the limit. The two senior shinobi had even used situations from their own experiences in the field as a means to train the three genin; the Sannin's battle with Hanzo the Salamander was one such example. Jiraiya had gone over, in depth, the details of the fight with them before having the three replicate it with Kakashi as the opponent. Though the man never revealed it, the true reason he had chosen that specific battle was to ensure his godson and the boy's team mates never made the same mistake he, Tsunade and Orochimaru made in their youth. And it was to that same end that Kakashi decided to use the mission that led to his best friend's death as their next exercise.

"Today we'll be doing another field simulation drill," began the Copy-nin, "This particular scenario is one that I encountered on my first official mission as a jounin, and is at the heart of what I consider my greatest failure." Though he fought back the cruel memories of that time, his students could easily see that their sensei still bore the scars of the memory on his heart. "Now," he said after forcing the memories away, "This situation is unfortunately quite a common one in the field; one of your squad mates has been taken captive, you have little information in regards to where they have been taken, and even less on your possible opposition. For the sake of authenticity, I have enlisted some help for this exercise. You will be on the clock for this one, those who are not taken captive will have one hour to rescue their team mate, if you don't, it will mean you have failed the mission and your team mate is dead. Good luck," Kakashi and Jiraiya both flashed the genin a smirk before disappearing in a swirl of leaves and cloud of smoke respectively.

No sooner had the two infamous shinobi disappeared, than did Naruto notice a distinct sizzling noise from behind. An alarmed glance over his shoulder revealed a paper bomb behind them, only a few seconds away from detonating. "MOVE!" he screamed. Sasuke and Sakura were quick to follow his lead, jumping away just as the explosion enveloped their previous position. They weren't given a chance to rest though, as multiple flashes went off around their feet. Blinded by the sudden light, Naruto and Sasuke could do nothing as Sakura's scream reached their ears before it was abruptly cut off. Recovering from their temporary blindness, the two clan heirs took a moment to assess the situation.

The hole in the ground between them revealed that Sakura had indeed been captured, and the method used to do so. A shared glance had the two nodding before Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and began scanning the area for any traces of lingering chakra signatures. Naruto closed his eyes in concentration, focusing all his awareness on his sensory abilities, knowing that Sasuke would be able to cover him if someone attacked. "Damn it," the blonde cursed after several moment of concentration, "They must be outside of my range, I can't pick up anything."

"Neither can I," grunted his black haired team mate, "Whoever Kakashi-sensei brought in to help, they know how to cover their tracks, both physical and chakra wise. What now, we don't have any idea where they took her; we're basically flying blind right now."

"I know, and splitting up is out of the question at this point. We do that, we give them an opening to take us both out."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Well we have one clue, this hole they left," said Naruto, kneeling down next to the earthly blemish. "This wasn't made by a person who is experienced with earth jutsu; they would have been able to seal it up without a second thought. Which means that we're dealing with someone who is either inexperienced with earth manipulation, or…"

"Or they tunneled in and weren't capable of sealing the hole," finished Sasuke, his Sharingan taking in every detail, down to the littlest piece of dirt. "Damn it, still nothing, they didn't leave any evidence behind."

"Maybe they didn't leave any on the surface, but what about underground? In the tunnel itself," leaning over the opening, taking care to keep his head out of the way of any possible traps, Naruto focused chakra to his eyes, trying to pierce the darkness inside.

"For that, we'd need the Byakugan, which last I checked, neither of us do."

"Maybe not," sitting back up, Naruto placed his right hand on the ground next to the opening, his eyes slipping closed again. "During my training with Jiraiya-sensei, he's been helping me improve my control over my chakra chains and honing my sensing abilities. I've only tried it a few times, but I've been working on replicating the Nidaime's method of sensing everything around him by just placing his fingers on the ground. With any luck, I can at least figure out which way the tunnel goes." Thanks to his Sharingan, Sasuke was able to watch as his team mate's chakra pulsed into the earth beneath his hand, before slowly returning to him. "I've got it, it's fuzzy, but I know the general direction the tunnel came from."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get Sakura, and take care of these guys," said Sasuke.

"My thoughts exactly," forming his signature hand seal, four more Naruto's appeared in the training ground, "My clones will scout the area around us while we follow the tunnel. Let's move." The six figures blurred away into the forest around them, on the hunt for their team mate and her kidnappers.

With Sakura

Sakura groaned as consciousness returned to her, only for it to turn into a muffed gasp once she realized she was no longer in her team's training grounds. In fact, she wasn't even on the ground at all. She was suspended in the air, hanging from the limb of one of the trees that gave Konoha its name, her arms and wrists bound in wire. A quick glance down revealed her ankles were also bound tightly, leaving her with very little range of movement. 'Damn it, when I get my hands on Kakashi-sensei, he's gonna regret this one.' Somewhere deep in the forest, observing the exercise from the shadows, said scarecrow felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of impending doom washing over him for a moment.

Thoughts of retribution against her sensei were put on hold when Sakura noticed a flash of sun kissed blonde hair leaping through the trees. Shouting for her team mate was utterly useless, curtesy of the seal covered paper pressed over her mouth. 'They really are giving us to little credit,' thought the pinkette as she swung her legs up, sticking her feet to the branch above her with chakra. A few shakes of her body helped gravity do its job; pulling the kunai in her holster out and letting in begin to fall to the ground. The blade would never reach the ground though, as Sakura cut the flow of chakra to her feet long enough for her legs to swing back down, her chakra flowing once again to catch the kunai with the soles of her boots.

Using her momentum, Sakura swung her feet forward, releasing her chakra's hold on the kunai and letting it fly to where Naruto was going to jump next. The blonde looked up in mild surprise, obviously feeling the kunai approaching, but making no move to avoid it. For a split second, Sakura's body tensed, believing she might have killed him on accident, only to sag in relief when he turned into a cloud of smoke, revealing him to be a clone instead. 'Thank kami, that almost gave me a heart attack,' she thought as the smoke slowly dispersed, but then something struck her, something she didn't notice when she first woke.

Where were her captors? Why would they go through the hassle of taking her, if they weren't going to keep her under watch to make sure she didn't try and escape? And why leave her with all of her weapons? Either the people Kakashi brought in were seriously underestimating them, or… they wanted Naruto and Sasuke to find her, so they could ambush them!

With Naruto and Sasuke

The blonde jinchuuriki suddenly stopped on a branch as memories from one of his clones returned to him. "Found her!" he said, turning to Sasuke, who had stopped on a branch above him, "She's fifty yards west of us, they must have planned on us following the tunnel and used it as a decoy. Whoever these guys are, they're good, we can't afford to let our guard down."

"Yeah, with this level of planning, there's probably a nasty surprise waiting for us too," the Uchiha's crimson Sharingan eyes met Naruto's deep sapphire blue, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "What do you think we should do?"

One of Naruto's infamous foxy smirks slowly spread across his face, "We spring the trap of course." Sharing one last smirk, the two genin set off through the forest, intent on rescuing their pink haired team mate.

Unknown to the two genin, they were not alone. Above them, safely out of sight of Sasuke's Sharingan, and hidden from Naruto's sensing abilities, was Raido Namiashi, Konoha's most prominent assassin. He and his two team mates had been asked by Kakashi to assist in this particular exercise. At first they had all been a little hesitant to help, believing that it was overkill to have three tokubetsu jounin going up against three genin, above average genin, but genin nonetheless. Though in the end, the chance to see what the newest generation of team 7 was capable of won out and they agreed to help with the exercise.

'Looks like one of Uzumaki's clone found Haruno; I guess it's about time for us to make an appearance.' With a smirk on his scared face, Raido kicked off to meet up with his companions, easily evading the notice of the two genin.

It was a few minutes later that the two genin reached the place where Naruto's clone had been dispelled. They easily spotted Sakura's unique shade of pink hair through a gap between some branches but before they could move to free her, a flock of crows surrounded them, preventing them from moving. "Sasuke, what is this?" called Naruto over the sound of hundreds of flapping wings.

Sasuke's Sharingan shined as they darted all around, trying to ascertain the cause of their current predicament. It quickly became apparent that they were not under the effects of a genjutsu, but that the crows were physical constructs of chakra, similar to Naruto's shadow clones. He relayed that information to the blonde, knowing he was more experienced and knowledgeable when it came to matters involving this kind of chakra.

'If they're like my shadow clones, then a single blow is all it should take to get rid of them,' Naruto thought as he began forming hand seals. "Sasuke, give me some fire! With a big enough attack, we should be able to eliminate all of them at once!" the black haired youth was already forming seals before Naruto had even finished. Finishing his own chain of seals, Naruto inhaled a large breath, before expelling it in a concentrated stream, 'Fuuton Stream.'

'Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu,' the combination they had used against Orochimaru surge forward, consuming the swarm of birds. Unfortunately, the crows did not dispel as Naruto had hoped, instead for every one that was destroyed, another two took its place. Cancelling their respective techniques before they completely overwhelmed themselves accidently, Naruto and Sasuke abandoned all pretense of dealing with the crows and instead focused their efforts in freeing Sakura.

A pair of kunai sliced through the air, the two males of team 7 barely managing to throw the lethal weapons before the crows swarmed them once more. Their attempt was for naught however, as the sound of metal hitting metal reached them over the sound of flapping wings. Thanks to his Sharingan, Sasuke was able to catch a glimpse of the two senbon that had been used to intercept their kunai. Sadly for the Uchiha, that momentary lapse of awareness was all the opening their assailants needed to strike.

"Sasuke, look out!" called Naruto, having sensed the sudden appearance of a foreign chakra behind his team mate. Sasuke didn't even bother sparing a glance, simply leaping away from the branch he stood on to avoid whatever threat was there. Not a moment after the blacekettes feet had left their perch, than did a flash of steel appear, cutting a small gash along the back of the Uchiha's one piece suit.

Just as quickly as the attack had begun, it was over; the crows fading from existence, the unknown swordsman's presence fading with them. Never ones to stay idol for long, Naruto and Sasuke both leapt towards Sakura, kunai out and their senses alert. With one last leap, the two genin reared back their knives to free the pinkette, only to receive twin kicks that sent them back into the tree tops.

Raido smirked as he began to fall back to earth, only for his eyes to widen as he sensed movement above him. He had just enough time to look up and see a gloved hand, before said hand sent him careening downwards with a powerful punch. A blonde and black blur shot out of the trees just after the swordsman had been hit, delivering their own blows that accelerated Raido's descent. 'Damn, those three are way better than Kakashi let on. He's gonna owe me big time for this,' Raido thought as he crashed through a few branches before impacting the ground, 'Fuck that hurt. Genma, Aoba, you guys better watch yourselves.'

A short distance away, Raido's two team mates watched with wide eyes as their friend was taken out of the fight so quickly. They had seen another Naruto come from behind and free the Haruno girl, but hadn't been fast enough to take action. "Damn, to think they could take down Raido so quickly, those three are gonna be one hell of a force to be reckoned with in a few years."

"Yeah, and we have to fight them," said Genma with a sigh, sticking another senbon in his mouth. Aoba silently agreed with him, but tried to keep a more positive attitude.

"Speaking of, when should we make our next move?"

"Don't know, how about…" Genma started, before he was cut off by another voice from behind.

"Now," the two tokubetsu jounin whirled around to see a flash of blonde hair, before the person disappeared in a cloud of smoke. No sooner had the smoke cleared, then were the three members of team 7 upon the two shinobi. Naruto lead the assault with a wide swing of his katana, forcing the two apart and into the clutches of his team mates.

Sakura threw a right hook that Genma just barely managed to dodge by leaning his head to the side. Not letting up in her attack, the pink haired medic in training used her momentum to spin in midair and rise her leg into a spin kick. Having no other choice, the senbon chewing shinobi braced his left arm with his right and blocked the kick. That proved to be a huge mistake as he was immediately blasted back by the strength of the blow. 'What the hell!? Kakashi didn't say anything about her having herculean strength! That bastard is seriously gonna owe us after this!'

Aoba wasn't fairing any better than Genma, as he was forced to parry the Uchiha's kunai with one of his own. After another failed attempt to strike his opponent, Sasuke jumped back slightly and unleashed a swarm of small fireballs at the tokubetsu jounin. Just as Aoba raised his hands to perform a counter, an invisible force hit him in his jaw; disorienting him, allowing the swarm of fireballs to hit their mark and launch Aoba across the tree tops.

Their flights would be short lived as both team mates collided in midair. Naruto chose that moment to act, throwing two seal tags at the tangled mass of limbs. One of the tags attached itself to Aoba's leg, while the other landed on Genma's arm. Forming the snake seal, Naruto activated the seal on each tag, causing them to glow a faint blue. Multiple strands of chakra sprouted from the seals, wrapping around the two tokubetsu jounin.

"Alright, that's enough," Kakashi's voice rang out through the forest as he and Jiraiya appeared on a branch a few feet away, a bruised Raido, slung over the latter's shoulder. "Excellent work team, taking down three fully trained tokubetsu jounin is no small feat, even if they weren't fighting at the fullest extent of their capabilities. Now, Naruto, would you please release those two from your seal? That position can't be comfortable."

"You got that right it's not," grumbled Genma from his position on the tree branch. Currently, he and Aoba were being held together in an awkward clump of limbs. The three genin wore matching smirks as Naruto performed the counter seal, freeing the bound men.

"Alright, now I believe Jiraiya-sama has another exercise for you guys to work on. In the meantime, I'm going to take these guys to get checked out at the hospital. Ja ne," said Kakashi, finishing with his patented eye smile before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, along with the three battered jounin.

Naruto and his team mates turned to the blonde's godfather, only to be forced to leap away as a barrage of white needles descended upon them.

"What the hell, Ero-Sennin? What was that?" shouted Naruto as he landed on the trunk of a nearby tree.

Jiraiya's hair returned to its normal state as he cancelled his Needle Hell technique. "This is what today's exercise was truly about; seeing how you deal with the unexpected. Having a team mate kidnapped is only one situation that falls into that category, being ambushed is another. So prepare yourselves, because I'm your next opponent."

The three genin widened their eyes as Jiraiya formed the seal of the tiger and took in a deep breath, before unleashing a powerful stream of fire. They each shared one thought, as they braced themselves for the fight ahead, 'Oh shit.'

Groaning for what felt like the hundredth time, Naruto continued to trudge his way through the streets of Konoha. Jiraiya hadn't been lax in his assault of the three genin, and all of them would likely feel the effects of that exercise for a while. But despite his body's protests, the blonde had dragged himself halfway across the village for a reason. It was time to get some answers to the questions that had been bugging him since the preliminaries. He had intended to get those answers sooner, but Kakashi and Jiraiya had swept them up with training almost as soon as the prelims had finished.

After a few more minutes of walking, Naruto finally reached his destination, Yamanaka Flowers. Walking in, he was met with the welcoming fragrance of fresh flowers and a broad shouldered man with a long blonde ponytail behind the counter. The man, who could only be Ino's father, offered him a kind smile, "Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers; how may I help you young man?"

"Yamanaka-sama, I presume?" asked Naruto, walking up to the counter. He knew that despite his kind attitude, Inoichi Yamanaka was not someone to be on the bad side of. There was a reason the man was second in-command of the T&I division.

"You presume correctly," the man said, his smile never wavering, "I am indeed Inoichi Yamanaka, and I must say, it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Uzumaki-san."

"Please, just Naruto is fine. I've never really been one for formalities anyway," said the blonde, not at all surprised that the man knew who he was. Hell, he would've been more surprised if he didn't know him!

Inoichi smiled that much wider at the young man's humble attitude, a trait he shared with his late father. "In that case, you may call me Inoichi. Now, what can I do for you Naruto-san?"

"Actually I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about something."

"Ah, I take it this has to do with the way yours and Ino's chakra reacted to each other during the preliminaries?" said the Yamanaka head with a knowing look. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man's intuitive response, getting a chuckle in response. "Are you really so surprised, Naruto-san? After all, my daughter isn't known for keeping things secret for long, especially from me." Getting out from behind the counter, Inoichi moved to the front door and placed a closed sign on it. Turning back to face his guest, he motioned for the blonde to follow him as he moved to the curtained off doorway behind the counter. "Now, it's almost time for dinner, why don't you join us and we can discuss this over a meal?"

"So long as it's no trouble, I would be honored to join you and your family for dinner," said Naruto with a small bow of his head.

Waving off the young man's concerns, Inoichi continued down the hall with Naruto in tow. "Nonsense, it's no trouble at all." Finally reaching the end of the hall, the older blonde slid open a door and motioned Naruto inside.

Unlike a majority of the clans within Konoha, the Yamanaka were a relatively small one by comparison. With only a dozen or so serving as active ninja, they were one of the few clans that had truly embraced the relative peace and begun the transition into normal civilian life. Because of that, they no longer saw the need for a large, defendable compound and had instead spread out across Konoha to live in normal houses and apartments. As the main family, Inoichi had kept his family rooted in the place where the Yamanaka compound had once stood. Since they had no use for all the extra space, Inoichi had sold the remaining land of the compound and used the funds to build an addition onto his family's home. The addition now served as the flower store his family tended to.

As such, the sight that greeted the young genin reflected that more modest life style. The living room was well-furnished, but tastefully done, so as not to appear over bearing to any guests. A plush looking couch and matching arm chairs were sat around a dark stained coffee table. Multiple family pictures and heirlooms were placed around the room, giving the place a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. "Please Naruto, make yourself comfortable. I'll call Ino down and then we can move to the dining room." With that, Inoichi moved to the stairs across the room and shouted, "Ino, come down! It's time for dinner and we have a guest tonight!"

"Coming daddy, and who… Naruto?!" Ino exclaimed as she came down the stairs, stopping in surprise when she saw her fellow blonde genin standing in the middle of her family's home. "What are you doing here Naruto?"

Offering the girl a charming smile, Naruto inclined his head towards a smirking Inoichi. "I actually came here to speak with your father about what happened during the preliminaries. He thought it would be best if we all talked it over together."

"Yes, now, why don't we move to the dining room? I'm sure your mother has dinner already laid out." The Yamanaka head led the two younger blondes through another hall and slid open the door leading to the dining room. Unlike the living room, the dining room was done in a traditional Japanese style; a low set, hardwood table, with six white cushions set around it. The table was filled with numerous dishes and platters, each loaded with traditionally prepared food, ranging from beef, chicken and an assortment of vegetables.

A blonde woman chose that moment to walk in through a doorway on the far side of the room. Naruto was almost forced to do a double-take at the uncanny resemblance between mother and daughter. Wearing simple civilian style clothing, Ino's mother possessed the same beautiful traits that her daughter did; long, flowing platinum blonde hair and bright, expressive blue eyes. If her mother was anything to go by, Ino would grow from a beautiful young woman into a ravishing beauty in a matter of years.

"Oh," she said when she noticed the three, "Inoichi, you didn't tell me we were hosting a guest."

Inoichi walked over and kissed her temple, "Last minute invite dear. He came to ask me a couple questions and I felt this conversation would be better over a meal."

"Well in that case, let's eat shall we?" she said with a smile. With that, everyone moved to one of the cushions, kneeling comfortably on the plush material. Being respectful of his hosts, Naruto left his shinobi gear near the wall before taking the spot next to Ino. Once everyone was situated, they each placed their hands together in prayer.

"Itadakimasu," they said in unison before picking up their chopsticks and digging into the meal. Naruto was pleasantly surprised when he saw Ino pick up some chicken and begin eating. With all the bragging she and Sakura used to do during the Academy about how their diets were going, he didn't think she would touch any meat at all.

A few more minutes passed as they ate in companionable silence before Inoichi decided to get down to business. "So Naruto, what is it that you'd like to know? Ino has already filled me in on what happened, but to be honest, I'm not sure I'll be able to answer all the questions you may have."

"Don't worry Inoichi-sama, I never assumed that you would be able to answer all of the questions surrounding our situation, but any help you can give would be appreciated."

Inoichi smiled slightly again, Naruto was far more intelligent then he first thought. "Very well, then ask away."

Naruto glanced at Ino, and the two shared a nod, before refocusing on Ino's father. "Well, I suppose my first question would be about how we were able to speak to one another telepathically. It is a technique unique to your clan, and I'm positive Ino did not intentionally initiate the technique herself."

"You're assumptions are sound, Naruto. Ino told me she did not initiate the technique on her own, so I have been trying to answer that very question myself. Though it is still conjecture, I do have a theory on the matter." Both teens perked up, prompting Inoichi to continue, "Well, to begin, I'll explain a little more about our clan's telepathy. You see, members of the Yamanaka clan are able to communicate telepathically with one another with little difficulty, even without the assistance of our clan's Mind Body Transmission Jutsu. Because of our mastery of mind related abilities, it is almost second nature for a Yamanaka to extend their sense of self beyond their physical being. This, along with our extremely adaptable chakra is what allows us to connect our chakra to other clan members, and by extension communicate mentally with them."

"Ok," began Ino, still looking perplexed, "But how does that help explain how Naruto and I were able to communicate telepathically daddy?"

Inoichi set his chop sticks down and folded his hands on the table, "As I said Ino, our clan's chakra is incredibly adaptable; it has to be for our jutsu to be truly effective. My theory is that your naturally adaptable chakra reacted to Naruto's own potent chakra and created a connection between the two of you, allowing you to speak to one another mentally."

Ino slowly nodded to her father's theory, though it was obvious she was struggling to truly understand everything. Beside her, Naruto was silent as he contemplated Inoichi's theory. Unlike his fellow blonde genin, Naruto has a much firmer grasp of the principles of chakra and could make more sense of things such as this. But even then, his knowledge on the mysteries and principles of chakra was far from vast. He would need to consult with Jiraiya-sensei or Hokage-jiji at some point to see if they might be able to help.

After a few moments of silence, while he watched the two young genin process what he had told them, Inoichi spoke up again. "As I said, it's only a theory, but that is the most likely cause that I can think of. Now then, did you have any other questions for me?"

"I have one," stated Ino, bringing everyone's attention to her, "Do you remember what I told you about what happened right before I heard Naruto's voice in my head daddy?"

"You mean when you suddenly felt a surge of energy and your chakra reserve spiked?"

"Yeah, do you have any idea how that could have happened?"

"I'm sorry to say sweetie, but I have no idea," admitted the Yamanaka patriarch as he shook his head no. Ino's brow just creased further as she looked back down at her plate, obviously disappointed at not getting an answer.

Seeing this, Naruto gently nudged his fellow blonde to get her attention, "Hey, don't look so down Ino. If you want, I can ask my sensei or even the Hokage about that for you."

Ino's demeanor did a complete reversal as she beamed a bright smile at Naruto, "Really? You'd do that for me Naruto?"

"Sure, I was already planning on talking to them about this whole situation anyway to get their opinion on the matter. Throwing another question in shouldn't be that hard." He finished with his patented foxy smirk, drawing a near invisible blush from Ino.

Ino's reaction however, didn't go unnoticed by her parents, who shared a knowing smile, but quickly covering it up by focusing on their dinner. Conversation drifted to more casual topics for the remainder of the meal, allowing everyone to learn a little more about each other as the evening wore on. After everyone had finished, Ino rose and began gathering all of the dirty dishes to be washed. Naruto, never one to sit ideal, offered to help, and began gathering the rest of dishes on the table. When Ino's mother, Misaki, tried to tell him that he should relax, as he was their guest, he politely replied that it was the least he could do to repay them for allowing him to eat with their family.

So it was ten minutes later, after helping Ino with the dishes that saw Naruto bidding the Yamanaka family a goodnight, after thinking them once again for the meal. Ino offered to walk him out, so now the two blondes found themselves standing outside the flower shop, the stars just beginning to shine in the sky. "Well it may not be much, but at least now we have solid theory about what happened during the preliminaries," said Naruto as he turned to face his fellow genin.

"Yeah, I guess we'll just have to wait a little longer before we have all the answers to our questions." Ino's gaze was downcast, obviously disappointed that they hadn't been able to get any more than a theory from her father.

Reaching out, Naruto placed a comforting hand on Ino's shoulder, causing her to look up and meet his sapphire blue eyes. Once again an almost unnoticeable blush spread across her fair cheeks, the waning light of dusk preventing Naruto from seeing it. "Hey, don't worry Ino, we'll figure this all out. So we didn't get all the answers at once, that just means that what we have is something special. Besides, I'm still planning on talking to my sensei and Hokage-jiji. I'm sure they'll have a lot more theories and ideas about this."

Offering the spiky haired blonde a grateful smile, she nodded in agreement, "Thank you, Naruto-kun," neither seemed to notice Ino's addition of the affectionate suffix to Naruto's name. "Well I guess I'll see you in a few more weeks at the finals. Goodnight, Naruto-kun."

"Night, Ino," flashing her one last smirk and a small wave, Naruto left in the direction of his apartment, leaving the unknowing Yamanaka heiress to the tender mercies of the teasing she would soon endure from her parents.

Konohagakure Stadium- Day of Chuunin Exam Finals

Konoha was abuzz with energy as the event that many had been greatly anticipating was finally upon them. From all corners of the land, civilians, nobles and even Daimyo's flocked to the stadium in the heart of Konoha's great wall to view the finals of this year's biannual Chuunin Exams.

In the heart of the stadium, the ten prospective chuunin candidates stood at attention as they waited for the first match to begin. Just by looking at the field everyone could tell that this finals tournament was going to be one to remember. The heirs and heiress of four of Konoha's most prominent clans, the prodigy of the Hyuuga, the last loyal Uchiha and the son of the Yondaime Kazekage.

Unknown to the public, the son of the Yondaime Hokage had his eyes closed and was preparing himself for the fights to come. He and his team mates had been informed of the imminent threat posed to the village, though thanks to their encounter with Orochimaru, it didn't come as a total surprise to the three. Since they would be the only ones aware of the threat, they had been tasked with rallying their fellow genin to help anyway they could if and when Orochimaru made his move. However, the thing that worried Naruto most was his fellow jinchuuriki. He may not have had concrete proof that Gaara was indeed a jinchuuriki, but he instinctually knew it to be true.

The redhead was unstable, that was obvious, and the palpable bloodlust radiating off of him at all times made it obvious he had absolutely no problems killing. Naruto hoped beyond hope that whatever Orochimaru had planned didn't occur during Gaara's match, but considering the redheads opponent, that hope was meaningless. That was why he had given himself a self-appointed mission, if Gaara tried to capitalize on the chance to kill those who had eluded him thus far, he would subdue his fellow jinchuuriki, whatever it took.

Kage Box

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the top box above the stadium, allowing him a perfect and unobstructed view of the field. As he gazed over the field, he was filled with an immense sense of pride at the fact that all but one of the competitors was a genin of Konoha. He knew from his many years as Hokage that this kind of showing would catch the interest of many prospective clients, and bring a lot of missions to Konoha. But most of all, he was proud that Naruto, his surrogate grandson was among the finalists.

Jiraiya and Kakashi had kept him apprised of team 7's growth and training over the course of the month long break, and he was greatly impressed. When he had first created team 7 several months ago, he knew that the team had a great amount of potential, and with guidance from two world class shinobi, they were starting to grow into that potential.

His thoughts were halted by the arrival of the Kazekage and his guards. Rising from his seat, he turned to greet his fellow kage, "Ahh welcome Kazekage-dono. I trust the trip from Sunagakure was not to tiring for you?"

"Not at all, Hokage-dono," spoke the veiled kage, "In fact, it's probably just as well that these exams are being held here in Konoha. It is not likely you could have handled the trip to Suna at your age."

A kind, hearty chuckle hid the veteran shinobi's ire at the wind shadows insinuation quite well, a serene smile completing the disguise. "Come now, there is still quite a bit of life left in these old bones of mine. In fact I plan on being around for a few more years yet." Turning to face the arena again while the Kazekage took his seat, the Sandaime walked up the edge of the box. "Well now, what's say we begin?"

"Indeed," drawled the green robed shinobi, "This year's exams should prove to be quite memorable."

"WELCOME EVERYONE, TO KONOHAGAKURE NO SATO'S CHUUNIN SELECTION EXAM!" Sarutobi's chakra enhanced voice easily carried over the entire stadium, eliciting a round of cheering from the stands. "THIS YEAR WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE TEN VERY PROMISING CANIDATES! THESE YOUNG GENIN HAVE FOUGHT THEIR WAY THROUGH THE PRELIMINARIES AND EARNED THE RIGHT TO DISPLAY THEIR SKILLS HERE TODAY! SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET THE FINAL TOURNAMENT…BEGIN!"

As the stands once more dissolved into cheers, Genma, having been appointed in place of Hayate, turned to the assembled genin. "Alright guys, the environment may be different, but the rules are the same as in the prelims. There are no rules; you fight until death or one of you concedes defeat. If I determine the fight is over though, I will step in and declare a winner, understand?" A round of nods answered him, prompting him to remove a sheet of paper from his pocket, "Now just to remind you who you will be fighting, take another look at the match-ups."

First Match: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Shino Aburame

Second Match: Rock Lee vs. Neji Hyuuga

Third Match: Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka

Fourth Match: Shikamaru Nara vs. Kiba Inuzuka

Fifth Match: Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara no Sabaku

"The first match is between Naruto Uzumaki and Shino Aburame, you two stay. Everyone else please move to the competitors box." As the remaining eight genin filed out of the arena, the remaining members of the 'Konoha 12' and their sensei's were eager to see how their friends and comrades would fare in their matches.

"Well Kakashi, it looks like your boy is at a disadvantage," said Kurenai, from her place next to Asuma. "Shino's abilities will neutralize any techniques Naruto might have. He is the worst opponent your boy could have gotten."

Standing in the aisle between the rows of seats, little orange book nowhere to be found, Kakashi simply gave the red eyed beauty an eye smile. "Maa, Maa, don't write Naruto off so easily Kurenai. There is a reason he is known as the most unpredictable ninja in the village. By the time this match is over, you will understand exactly why he was given that moniker."

In the Arena

"Are you both ready?" the two genin silently nodded, never once breaking eye contact, "Alright, in that case, the first match; Naruto Uzumaki vs. Shino Aburame… HAJIME!" said Genma before he retreated to a safe distance, knowing firsthand how Naruto preferred to fight.

For a solid minute, neither combatant moved from their position, instead choosing to continue their stare down. That minute felt like an eternity to the onlookers though, and many of them were starting to get annoyed at the lack of action. Just as tension was starting to reach its peak, Naruto broke it, "You can call back your beetles Shino; if they try and eat any more of my chakra they will likely perish."

"I suppose you are right, Naruto-san," as he said this, the Aburame heir raised his right hand and pointed it towards the blonde jinchuuriki. No less than ten small kikaichu flew from Naruto to Shino's outstretched hand. Once the insects had disappeared into the sleeve of his jacket, Shino spoke again, "Thank you for loosening it so that I could recall my insects, but could you please remove the seal on my leg?"

Naruto smirked and raised his hand to form a half ram seal, releasing a pulse of chakra. Immediately, a small seal tag, the same shade of brown as Shino's pants, crumbled into dust. The crowd was silent after the short exchange. Many of the civilians and visiting nobles could not believe that the two genin had made such preparations in the short amount of time before the match began. Their ninja counterparts showed surprise as well, but for a different reason. What surprised them was that the two had the foresight to make such plans and execute them so efficiently. Not even some chuunin could claim to have that level of skill, a fact that was not lost on the judges or the Hokage.

"Well," said Naruto, bringing attention back to the matter at hand, "Now that the initial exchange is over, what do you say we really get this fight started?"

"Very well," with that, the two pushed off and clashed in midair, kunai grinding together. Jumping away, Naruto brought his left arm around and loosed three shuriken at the Aburame. Shino easily deflected the lethal stars, but was forced to turn his body to the side to avoid the kunai that followed.

Capitalizing on his new position, Shino extended his left arm and unleashed a condensed swarm of kikaichu at his blonde opponent. The swarm would never reach its intended target as a blast of wind dispersed the swarm, but it had served its purpose. Shino was nowhere to be found in the arena, immediately setting Naruto on edge. Deciding it best to go on the defensive, the blonde jinchuuriki clapped his hands together and close his eyes in concentration, absently noting that what he was about to do would likely cause a few hearts attacks. Just as he had done during his training with Jiraiya, ten golden chakra chains erupted from his back, eight forming a defensive barrier and the remaining two poised to strike.

True to Naruto's prediction, the appearance of his chains did indeed cause a few heart attacks. His fellow genin, minus his team, were stunned to see such a technique from the blonde, but quickly accepted it as something else he had hidden. The older generation however, especially those that had a connection to Naruto's parents had a much more pronounced reaction. Sarutobi couldn't contain his surprise and delight at the appearance of the chains, and it showed on his face. 'To think you would awaken your Uzumaki blood to such an extent so young. Naruto, you truly are your mother's son.'

In the stands sectioned off for the clans of Konoha, one ever stoic clan head felt his pupiless eyes widen. It was a little known fact that Hiashi Hyuuga had been on the same genin team as the Yondaime Hokage. What was even less known was that he had been the best of friends with Minato and Kushina. They often joked about their children falling in love and marrying, the idea of a marriage contract had been discussed, but sadly, fate had intervened before they could go through with their idea. After the death of his friends, Hiashi had locked all of his emotions behind a mask of stoicism. But now, seeing the very same chains that Kushina had once wielded being used by Minato's miniature clone was bringing forth many old memories. Memories of a bond he though forever lost, but maybe, just maybe, a small part of that bond remained, in the form of Minato and Kushina's son.

Under the effects of a cloaking genjutsu taught to him by Kurenai, Shino's eyes widened marginally as well as he took in this new development. The chains surrounding Naruto were obviously made of chakra and offered a full degree of protection to the blonde. It was also a perfect method of nullifying all of his clan jutsu as his kikaichu could only eat so much of Naruto's potent chakra before they inevitably died. That left very few options available to the Aburame heir, but he and his clan were nothing if not resourceful.

Before Shino had a chance to put that resourcefulness to use, the two chains not forming the barrier around Naruto shot at the cloaked genin. Narrowly avoiding being impaled by the spearheaded constructs, Shino was soon forced onto the defensive by the unrelenting chains. Naruto smirked from behind his barrier as he felt Shino's chakra move to avoid another strike from his chains. His training with Jiraiya during the month long break had truly paid off. Not only had his control of the chains improved, but he could even utilize some of his other skills at the same time now, not great but definitely a marked improvement.

Shino had finally dropped the cloaking genjutsu. It was obvious Naruto could detect him, so there was no point in wasting more chakra. Dodging yet another attempt by the chains, the sunglass wearing genin formed the ram seal to begin his counter. Before he had a chance to complete his technique, another chain broke through the ground behind him and wrapped around his leg. The two chains that had been attacking immediately moved and secured his arms, forcing them apart as a kunai was placed against Shino's throat.

"Surrender," a cold voice said from behind the bound Aburame. A second Naruto had appeared the moment the chains had secured their target, with a kunai against Shino's jugular vein.

An uneasy silence overcame most of the stadium, all of them unnerved by the tone of the blonde's voice. For the visiting nobles and those not originally from Konoha, the way Naruto spoke was a harsh reminder that shinobi, no matter how young, were trained killers. The citizens of Konoha however, heard something else entirely. They heard the voice of a demon, but for the first time in years, it was not the voice of the Kyuubi. It was a demon of their own making.

For as long as any of them could remember, Naruto had always been a happy and go-lucky person. No matter how they treated him or how badly they beat him, the blonde would always smile and act like nothing had ever happened. The civilians of Konoha had always taken that as the Kyuubi mocking them, silently telling them that no matter what they did, they were merely a nuisance to him. But now, for the first time they were seeing that they were wrong. That Naruto's smile and laughter were a mask, and now, they were getting a small glimpse of what was really behind that mask.

"Proctor," said Shino, "I forfeit."

Genma nodded and raised his hand to point at Naruto, "Winner; Naruto Uzumaki." No sooner had the words been spoken then did the chains protruding from the blondes back dissolve and the 'Naruto' behind Shino disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Despite many still being shaken from glimpsing behind Naruto's mask, they still applauded and showed their appreciation for the match.

"That was a good fight Shino," Naruto said as he walked up and shook hands with his fellow genin.

"Yes, though I suspect you were not fighting at your full strength." A foxy smirk answered his statement, "I see; I shall have to increase my training to catch up with you. I look forward to sparing with you again sometime."

"Likewise," said the blonde, as the two genin began making their way up to the competitor's box.

In the stands

Kurenai was at a loss for words as the match concluded, while Kakashi simply smirked behind his mask. "I told you. Naruto is not one to be underestimated. On the contrary, he is the last person any of us should underestimate. He has kept his true abilities hidden for a very long time, and I'm sure there are even more talents that he has yet to reveal as well."

"I'd say," said Asuma as he took another drag from his ever present cigarette. "What I'd like to know is what's up with those scrolls on his back? What purpose do they serve?"

Everyone in their small group turned their attention away from the arena to look at Kakashi, each of them curious about the answer as well. They were disappointed when Kakashi only shrugged, though his reply only increased their curiosity. "I honestly have no idea. In all the time since Naruto revealed his true capabilities, I have only ever seen him unseal a small handful of weapons, ranging from shuriken to a katana from the top scroll, but I highly doubt that is the extent of that scrolls contents. He's also never mentioned anything concerning the purpose of the second scroll so its contents are a complete mystery. The only person who may know what those two scrolls are really for would be Naruto's godfather, and I doubt he'd go around sharing his godson's secrets."

"Godfather?" said a surprised Kiba, "But, I thought Naruto was an orphan?"

"He is Kiba, but that doesn't mean he has no family remaining," chided Kakashi, leaving most of the genin to ponder over the mystery that was Naruto Uzumaki. Smirking behind his mask, Kakashi turned to watch the next fight. 'And he's not the only one who will surprise you. Sasuke and Sakura have a few surprises of their own instore,' the cycloptic jounin's smirk widened that much more, eager to see his other two students action as well.

And there you have it! Hope you guys like it, and please leave a review, reading those really helps motivate me to continue on with my writing.

BSW