Summary: After Uzushio's destruction, Naruto moved to Konoha with his father. Now, Naruto will have to face new dangers, starting with the Chunin Exams. [Sequel to Silver Lining, eventual SasuNaru.]

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!: If you haven't read Silver Lining, or haven't read it in a while, and don't want to (re)read it, please take a look at its last chapter titled ''IMPORTANT'' where I summarize the whole story. It will make Where the Wind Blows much easier to understand.

Where the Wind Blows

Mind Games

ꞌꞌAre you ready?''

Minato stood on the threshold of his son's bedroom. Naruto was kneeling in front of a low table upon which both of his forehead protectors –Uzushio's and Konoha's- lay neatly. The smaller blond was staring at them intently as if some sort of epiphany would come out of it. He was almost fully dressed; he had his dark gray capri pants and his long-sleeved black turtle neck over which he wore the Uzumaki-style white kimono, ending mid-thighs, with its signature large sleeves. It bore the red Uzumaki clan symbol in the back and to tie everything up, Naruto had chosen to wear a large orange obi, which also held a large scroll at his lower back. He had the standard black shinobi sandals and plated black fingerless gloves. The only thing missing, really, was the Hitai-ate.

ꞌꞌAlmost,'' Naruto replied, not taking his eyes off the two items on the table. Minato wondered which one he would choose to wear for the special occasion.

At last, the younger blond picked one up and tied it securely around his forehead. He got up to his feet and gave his father a wide grin.

ꞌꞌNow I am.''

ꞌꞌI'm surprised you chose to wear Konoha's,'' Minato admitted. His son had been wearing it since graduating from the Academy, but Minato had honestly thought the blond teen would have chosen to wear his native village's to make some sort of statement and potentially intimidate other participants of the Chunin exams.

ꞌꞌKonoha's my home now,'' the smaller blond replied simply. Minato smiled fondly and walked over to his son and ruffled the small teen's hair affectionately.

ꞌꞌThere's something I'd like to give you before you go,'' Minato said as he looked through one of his weapon pouches. He took out a three-pointed kunai and handed it to his son. ꞌꞌI've changed the design of the Hirashin seal. It's much more efficient now. I also want to change the one I placed on you, but I'm still giving you a kunai, just in case.'' Naruto nodded and thanked his father as the latter modified the seal situated at the back of his neck. ꞌꞌIf ever you feel that your life is in danger, use it, and I'll come.''

ꞌꞌI understand,'' Naruto replied with a small nod, though he didn't sound very convincing. Minato crouched down so he was on the same level as his son and placed both his hands firmly on the teen's shoulders.

ꞌꞌI'm serious, Naruto,'' Minato said firmly, staring into eyes identical to his own. ꞌꞌI don't care about the exam. I care about you. Forget about your pride and make sure you keep yourself alive out there.'' He squeezed the teen's small shoulders slightly to emphasis his point. Naruto blinked, somewhat taken aback by his father's rather dramatic speech. The blond sobered up and nodded a second time, more focused now. He knew the chunin exams were extremely dangerous, and there was the added threat of a possible invasion.

ꞌꞌI will. I promise, dad.''

ꞌꞌGood.''

Minato rose to his full height, then grinned proudly. The tension dissipated as he did.

ꞌꞌAlright, show them what you've got, kiddo!''

ꞌꞌHell yeah!'' Naruto punched the air enthusiastically.

OoOoO

Team Seven –except their sensei- met at their usual meeting spot before going to the location of the first part of the exam. The three genins were quite nervous and excited, but kept their cool for appearances' sake. They did not plan to let other participants see any sort of weakness, especially not at such an early stage.

The first exam was taking place in an immense, but abandoned factory bordering the village, which had been refurbished for the purpose of the exams. All two hundred participants entered the building and stood in the large hall, waiting for the proctors to give their instructions.

Naruto looked around distractingly searching for his old friend Gaara. He could see the Suna siblings further down the hall. Gaara's eyes looked just as empty as they had seemed yesterday and it broke the blond's heart. Now was not the time to act, of course, but he swore to himself that he would once the time was right. Temari's gaze met his and the exchanged a silent promise.

Naruto kept looking around curiously to get a sense of his opponents and his teammates seemed to be doing the same. Konoha's Rookie Nine were definitely among the youngest participants; most seemed to be at least two years older. A majority of them looked nothing less than intimidating, but Naruto did not let that affect his spirits. After what he had been through, there was hardly anything that could scare him now.

His eyes fell on familiar figures who all seemed to be gathered around a single person with pale gray hair and round glasses. He signaled his two teammates and the three of them got closer to the little group.

ꞌꞌThat Hyuuga's team is there,'' Sasuke said lowly, narrowing his eyes and piercing a glare into Neji's back.

ꞌꞌWe'll kick his ass in the exam, so don't start a fight now,'' Naruto whispered to his friend as they approached the group.

ꞌꞌTch,'' Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. ꞌꞌHe's the one who likes to pick up fights. I'm not going to let his ridiculous teammate stop me again if he does.''

ꞌꞌI want information about Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto,'' Neji demanded. Kabuto's eyes widened at the request. He quickly hid his surprise, but his mind was racing a thousand miles an hour. He had not expected such a name to come up, and his master would undoubtedly want to know that apparently not all Uzumakis had been killed.

ꞌꞌWhy don't you ask us directly, coward,'' Sasuke spat as he got closer to the Hyuuga. Neji looked up from the info card Kabuto had just given him and turned around to face him. He glared openly at both him and Naruto, then his scowl turned into a smirk.

ꞌꞌI got all I needed to know. This,'' Neji showed Sasuke his info card, ꞌꞌtells me you haven't awakened your Sharingan yet. Your skills are impressive, but not impressive enough without your bloodline to beat me.''

ꞌꞌI'll show you, fucking bastard-ꞌꞌ

ꞌꞌSasuke, please!'' Naruto said, grabbing Sasuke's arm to pull him back. Sasuke growled but willed himself to calm down since he had promised Naruto. Besides, they would probably get disqualified if they fought here. The blond turned to Neji.

ꞌꞌWhat about me? Got anything to be a jerk about?'' Naruto asked defiantly. Though he had to admit he was anxious to know if they had anything on him... especially the Kyuubi. Naruto held back a sigh of relief when he saw Neji's scowl come back.

ꞌꞌYou don't have a card at all.''

ꞌꞌGetting info on anyone from Uzushio is nearly impossible. They were very secretive and held their own exams.'' Kabuto explained. ꞌꞌAnd since the destruction...'' He trailed off, faking some sort of compassionate expression. ꞌꞌI'm glad that there were survivors.'' Naruto's eyes turned grim.

ꞌꞌAttention all participants!''

All the genins in the large entrance hall turned to the new voice at the back of the room. Several Konoha jounins and chunins were standing on an improvised stage so they could all be seen. There was one particularly intimidating jounin standing in front of them. He was the one speaking.

ꞌꞌMy name is Ibiki Morino, head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation force. I am overseeing the first part of the Chunin exams. Since there are many of you, we are dividing you in groups of ten teams. Each group will go to a different room. Above the doors around you are the lists of teams picked randomly. Proceed to your assigned room and the rest will be explained to you by the appointed proctors.''

Team Seven, like every other genin team, did as told and found their room. None of them had windows and they only had one door. Inside it were ten round tables with three chairs. No chunin or jounin was present yet. Team seven chose a table closer to the front and observed as the rest of the teams settled in. Both Shikamaru's and Neji's teams were with them, but the rest were teams from foreign villages they did not know. Naruto was somewhat disappointed that Gaara's team wasn't with them; observing him might have helped with finding out what was wrong with his seal.

Once all teams were seated, the door suddenly closed and smoke came through the bottom crack and rapidly started filling the room. Some of the genins started to panic and tried to open the door to get out, but it was locked from the outside. One of the participants was about to use an offensive jutsu to knock it down, but an unknown voice coming from an inter-communication system echoed in the room.

ꞌꞌTake your seats so we may begin the examination.''

ꞌꞌSo this is part of the exam, huh? I can tell this is going to be a huge drag,'' Shikamaru sighed and slouched on his seat. A genin team from Sand sniffed the now-dissipating smoke and stroke his chin.

ꞌꞌPoison... Isn't the first part of the exam theoretical?''

ꞌꞌTheoretical?! Naruto cried out. He had been pretty calm about the smoke, but the thought of having to answer questions –rather than just punching someone- made his head spin with worry.

ꞌꞌThat's what you're worried about?!'' Sakura exclaimed with disbelief. ꞌꞌThat guy just said we were poisoned!''

ꞌꞌB-but Sakura-chan, you know theoretical stuff isn't my strength... Crap! I'm not even going to get to fight in the exams...'' Naruto whined, burying his hands in his hair, trying to repress his frustration.

ꞌꞌCalm down, dobe,'' Sasuke said with a fond smile. ꞌꞌMost of it is team-based. Just rely on us for this one.''

ꞌꞌSasuke-kun's right,'' Sakura added with her own soothing tone. ꞌꞌI'm definitely going to have to rely on you guys later on, so it's only fair.'' She was still training very hard to try and catch up to her teammates, but she had a long way to go. Naruto looked between Sasuke and Sakura hesitantly, then visibly relaxed and smiled gratefully. Sasuke was smart, but with Sakura in their team he was certain they were going to do well.

ꞌꞌThanks, guys,'' Naruto smiled and sat up straight. All participants had calmed down and gone back to their seats, but it was obvious that some were quite anxious knowing they had just been poisoned.

Morino Ibiki and an unknown chunin entered the room. The Special Jounin had a pile of papers while the other was pushing a small cart with what were undoubtedly several vials with the antidote in it. There was enough for everyone. Naruto squinted his eyes in confusion.

ꞌꞌOne more thing before I explain the test,'' Ibiki said with a sadistic smile. Sakura groaned. Of course their group just had to end up with the scariest proctor. ꞌꞌYou need to all sign this form.'' He handed the pile of papers for the chunin to pass around. As the chunin did so, Ibiki continued his explanations. ꞌꞌThe poison you've all been affected with is a debilitating one. If you choose to continue with the test, you must sign this form stating that you are aware of the consequences and will not sue our village for it. You can also choose to leave now with the antidote, but you will not be allowed to take the chunin exam for another five years.''

All participants looked at their teammates anxiously and whispers started filling the room.

ꞌꞌTo sum up,'' Ibiki said with a booming voice, silencing everyone, ꞌꞌYou can take the test to possibly earn the antidote, or leave now but delay your career.'' The genins looked at each other uneasily, some sweating and trembling with creeping anxiety. Ibiki narrowed his eyes when he saw this. Clearly, some of these younglings were too weak-minded to become chunins. ''If you fail this test, the effects of the poison will be permanent. You memory and concentration will slowly deteriorate until you become a walking zombie. The effects of the poison become irreversible after 8 hours, which is the amount of time that is allotted for this test.''

ꞌꞌOh my god... is this for real?'' Sakura gasped, gripping her long pink hair anxiously. The chunins exams for known for being extremely dangerous, with many people dying every year because of it... but she had no idea it could be this... this twisted.

ꞌꞌNo fucking way!'' A young genin from the Rain village suddenly cried out. ꞌꞌIt's not worth it, I quit!'' His teammates stared wide-eyed at him. One of the two slammed his fist on the table and glared at his teammate.

ꞌꞌYou can't do this to us!'' The young genin growled. ''If you quit, you're forcing the rest of your team to quit too!'' He added angrily, gesturing towards himself and his other, much calmer teammate.

''Shut up! I'm saving our lives here!'' The panicked one shrieked and marched hastily towards the chunin overseer. The older leaf nin hid his smirk and handed over the antidote. Everyone watched silently as the door closed heavily behind him. The Rain genin cursed and looked at his other impassive teammate, who sighed in defeat, though did not seem particularly surprised. With no other choice, they left the room as well.

''Any other cowards want to leave before we begin?'' Ibiki taunted with piercing eyes.

The competitors exchanged a variety of looks; some utterly scared, some confident, some bored... Moments later, two other teams left the room. There were now only seven teams left.

Sakura took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She could not let her fear take over her better judgement. This theoretical exam was her opportunity to show her worth. If she, of all people, chickened out, then she'd never become a chunin. She clenched her fists tightly, willing her confidence back. When she looked up to meet her two teammates' eyes, she was greeted with equal confidence.

''Then I will explain the rules of this exam,'' Ibiki said calmly. He grabbed a piece of chalk and started writing down the key information as he explained. ''Each team starts with three points. You will accumulate or lose points by answering questions. Once you reach nine points, you've earned he antidote and may leave.''

The tension left Sakura's shoulders. This should be easy. She almost felt silly for doubting herself and for letting herself be awed by the poison. She was not the only one who visibly relaxed. Ibiki smirked and continued.

''Questions are answered in rivaling pairs. The members of each team take random turns picked by us to answer questions. The one who answers correctly steals a point from the opposing team. Once a team reaches zero...'' Ibiki let the sentence linger, watching with interest the many emotions going through the participants eyes.

''B-but... but that means not even one third of the group has a chance to pass...'' Shikamaru whispered to himself, cold sweat dripping down his temples.

Meanwhile, Neji was having similar thoughts. He narrowed his eyes as the implications sunk in. Which means, not even one third will get the antidote... all the others will be debilitated for life. This is insane!

''I quit!'' A new genin screamed suddenly. He rose brusquely from his seat, knocking the chair down carelessly and rushing towards the Chunin's tray of antidotes. His teammates followed suite, unwilling to put their sanity at such risk.

Sasuke pressed his lips tightly together, observing as the Rock team left. He remained calm to the exterior eye, though one could still discern a cold drop of sweat trailing down his forehead.

''We're down to six teams now... which means only two can pass,'' Sasuke said quietly. He frowned. This seemed too far-fetched, even in ninja-exams standards. Had the exam been conducted in certain other villages, like the Bloody Mist, he would have not had difficulty believing it. But this was the Leaf. His village was not known for using such gruesome methods.

Naruto looked down anxiously at his clenched fists. How he wished he had been better at this theoretical stuff... Now, because of him, his team had a much higher chance of failing. If he caused his friends' doom, he'd never forgive himself.

Sasuke looked at his friend and squeezed the smaller blond's shoulder tightly.

''Stop worrying, dobe. We've got this,'' the Uchiha said firmly. He refused to let his friend inflict more grief upon himself than he already did. The blond smiled somewhat uncertainly.

''I'll do my best not to let you guys down,'' Naruto said earnestly.

Ibiki looked on, waiting for another team to give up, but none did. Six out of Ten was not a bad result at all.

''Let's begin.'' Ibiki pulled out a scroll from under his heavy coat and activated it, revealing several sealed documents. The exam questions, undoubtedly. ''First call: Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee''

Naruto's eyes grew the size of dinner plates. Why do I have to go first?!

''Damn it,'' Naruto cursed and slowly got up from his seat, throwing an uncertain look towards his teammates as he did.

''You can do it, Naruto,'' Sakura whispered and gave him a reassuring look. Sasuke nodded in agreement. Lee looks like an idiot, so he might have a chance, Sasuke thought jokingly. Even if Naruto didn't get it, they could still pass as long as he and Sakura answered correctly.

''Yosh,'' Lee said as he walked up to the examinator. He didn't quite sound as enthusiastic as usual though. Theory hadn't been his forte either and the thought of causing other fellow leaf-genins' doom did not sit well with him.

The two leaf genins stood quietly in front of Ibiki, waiting for the first question. The tall and imposing man took one of the seal documents and unlocked it, revealing a text of an unknown language.

''During your undercover investigation in an enemy faction, you stumble upon this coded correspondence. To get you point, you must decipher the message.''

Naruto swallowed thickly. Eyes roamed over the completely incomprehensible paragraph urgently. How was he supposed to do this? Where should he start?! This looked like a completely made up language! Was it reversed? Or was it number based? What was that?!

Sakura narrowed her eyes to get a better look. She analysed the secret code, trying to figure it out and get a feel of the level of difficulty the questions were going to be. She was not the only doing this; Sasuke –and many others- were fixed on the question.

''This... it's way beyond academy level,'' Sakura whispered after a moment. She looked at Sasuke, who nodded, confirming her fears. It was not beyond her capacities, but she knew it was way out of Naruto's league...

''What the hell is this nonsense,'' Naruto muttered angrily under his breath. He looked at his opponent; he felt somewhat reassured to see Lee having a difficult time as well. Several minutes went by; the ticking of the clock was getting louder and louder in Naruto's ears. He had no idea how he was supposed to decipher the code, and the strange characters in front of him were starting to blur together.

''I...'' Lee started hesitantly, ''I think I finally figured it out.'' Naruto turned to him, lips pressed tightly together as he tried to suppress his shame.

''Let's hear it,'' Ibiki said simply.

''It's instructions for an attack with a list of supplies and information about the terrain they will be fighting on,'' Lee explained. He continued in more details, giving the exact translation for the encrypted message.

''Correct,'' Ibiki announced.

Naruto was crushed. He had not even gotten close to deciphering a fraction of the message. The exam was going to be one massive humiliation... and he might end up causing his friends' failure. Because of him, his team was already down to two points.

The two leaf nins returned to their respective tables. Lee was congratulated by his female partner while the Hyuuga simply nodded approvingly. Naruto was about to apologize to his own team, but they would have none of it. Sakura promptly reassured him, saying he should just let her and Sasuke take care of it. His own talents would shine next time, that's all. Sasuke supported her and gripped his friend's shoulder once more.

Naruto smiled, but more sincerely this time. He was blessed to have such friends. He also completely trusted their capabilities.

Two more competitors were called from other villages. Team seven took this opportunity to analyze their opponents. Even though only six teams remained, those who had stayed definitely had a strong will. Even team ten seemed to be holding themselves together... in fact, they really didn't seem as anxious as they should.

''Next are,'' Ibiki paused to pick the next competitors, ''Akimichi Choji and Jinsen Kotaru.''

''We're counting on you,'' Ino said with a wink as she grabbed Shikamaru and Choji's hnds in a seemingly innocent gesture. There was a strange pause during which Ino suddenly frowned, as if from a headache. Then Choji slowly got up, expression bored and hands buried in his pockets.

''Man,'' Choji sighed, ''This is a drag.''

Team seven stared.

Damn it! Sakura cursed internally. With Ino's techniques, this test was going to piece of cake for them! Shikamaru would simply answer all the questions. So unfair! But then, can I blame them? If it was to ensure my teammates' health and success, I'd have no problem cheating too...

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look; their thoughts were similar to Sakura's. Cheating sounded like the right plan... but they didn't have an Ace up their sleeves like Ino's. Naruto nibbled on his bottom lip anxiously. This would decrease their chances of passing even more... Shikamaru's team was practically guaranteed to have the antidote now... which meant only one other team would get one.

Unsurprisingly, Choji, or rather, Shikamaru, answered the question correctly, stealing a point from Cloud's team.

The blond threw a look at the chunin, silently standing in front of the cart with the antidotes. There has to be a way...

''Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji'' Ibiki called out after two more rounds.

Sasuke clenched his fists, determined not to let Hyuuga's team rob another point from them. Both teens walked to Ibiki, though not without throwing each other nasty glares.

''Your team is on a top secret infiltration mission, but it seems your cover has been blown suspiciously fast. Why do you think that is?''

Sasuke frowned at the strange question... there were many reasons why this could have happened. Which one was Ibiki expecting?

''Easy; there is a traitor in my team. I identify and kill them,'' Neji answered almost instantly. Sasuke whipped his head towards him, incredulous. That was a very hasty conclusion. It was also needlessly harsh, even by Sasuke's standards. An enemy spy was the obvious answer, but that didn't mean that traitor was part of the actual field team; it could have been anyone from the administration office or someone of a higher rank. Also, it was much more productive to keep the traitor alive for questioning than just killing them.

Sasuke opened his mouth to make his point, but it was too late. With an unsettling smirk, Ibiki ceded the point to Neji.

''Answer accepted.''

''What?'' Sasuke protested heatedly. ''It doesn't-''

''The point has already been deducted, Uchiha,'' Ibiki said evenly. ''Go back to your seat.'' Neji chuckled lowly under his breath and walked back to his team without sparing him another glance. Sasuke was gritting his teeth, seething with anger. He willed himself not to just break a fight with the proctor. Fortunately he was rational enough to know it would be a stupid idea; he'd just get his team disqualified while getting his ass kicked in the process.

Still, this exam was getting more and more ridiculous as the hour went by. The conditions they were put under and the arbitrary questioning and answering was just madness. He was starting to question the very purpose of this exam. At first, it had just seemed like a way to test their knowledge under intense life-or-death pressure... but Neji's answer was hardly the most logical one. Had this been a fair test, Sasuke would have had a right to rebuttal.

He sat back in his chair, too angry and ashamed to meet his teammates in the eyes. He had let Naruto down especially. He had let Neji take their point –they only had one left already!- and had failed to bring reassurance to the blond on the very first try.

''Sasuke,'' Naruto called out calmly, refusing to let his best friend beat himself over this. ''You can't let this get to you... we need you to stay focused.'' I need you to stay focused, Sasuke understood.

Meanwhile, Neji's teammates weren't quite as supportive. Tenten looked downright pissed while Lee just looked hurt. It was disturbing to know that their teammate was so quick to suspect and eliminate a teammate. Neji was unperturbed by their looks.

''I brought us one step closer to the antidote. Don't take these hypothetical cases so personally.'' Neji would hope his teammates knew better than to react so immaturely and unprofessionally. They should also know better than to doubt his loyalty to them. He said what he had to say in order to ensure their survival. That was all.

Ibiki observed the scene with a small satisfied smile. Tension and division. All of the participants were completely blinded by them.

After a couple more rounds, Sakura was called up and –god bless her- promptly earned team seven a point. Both Naruto and Sasuke let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding.

But next time team seven was called, it was Naruto's turn, and they were back to a single point again.

The blond wanted to pull his hair out. He knew he wasn't the academic type, but he had never felt so utterly dumb until now.

''The questions are getting harder and more subjective... The next ones aren't going to be easy,'' Sakura observed nervously as other teams competed. Points kept getting exchanged from one team to another. The only one truly standing strong was Shikamaru's team thanks to Ino's technique. They were now at eight points; only one more and team ten would walk out with an antidote. Sakura pressed her lips anxiously together. She looked over to her best friend and rival. The girl was sweating and quite pale. It was obvious that the technique was draining her energy drastically. She wouldn't be able to perform it much more. There was also the poison which was starting to affect them all. It was harder to concentrate.

But, team ten only had one more point to gain. Their victory was just one question away.

Meanwhile, hearing Sakura's words had thrown Naruto back into a hectic and nervous state. He dug his hand into his blond mane and pulled at it, hoping some sort of genius idea would come out. If Sakura thought the questions were getting hard, what could they possibly do? They didn't have a technique like Ino's or Neji's Byakugan which he had used to read Tenten's lips for a question concerning weapons... clearly, if they didn't somehow cheat the system, they'd never pass!

And we're not the only ones who'll get crippled from this freak show, Naruto thought, pulling his hair harder. Only six of us will walk out unharmed... the rest of us... won't even be able to pursue our dreams! This is crazy! Naruto felt like his heart wanted to rip out of his chest. It just isn't right! He turned his head and stared at the guarding chunin... The antidotes were right there. If only he could just take them. But if he tried... it was just impossible.

''Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino.''

Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other worriedly, then turned to Sakura. Although Sakura was doing her best to keep her cool, she was completely restless within. Even under these more than precarious conditions, she was still confident enough in her intelligence not to fear any of her opponents.

Except Shikamaru.

He was the only one who was her equal in intelligence. Team seven only had one more point left and Team Ten only needed one more to finally get out of this hell hole. And judging by the strength Ino had left, they clearly could not afford to have pity on them and cede them the point. If they did, then their points would only slowly decrease from now; neither Choji nor Ino had the capacity to answer the questions, especially now that they were getting ridiculously difficult.

Sakura stood up and walked, trembling ever so slightly. She clenched her hands and dug her nails deeply into her skin to keep her composure. Team ten could not afford to lose... well, neither could they. The fate of her team was on her. For once, Sakura could finally make a difference for her team, and that gave her courage. She cleared her head and stood beside Shikamaru who was in Ino's body.

Ibiki tried to contain his smirk. Of course, he knew the students had been cheating, which was fine as long as they didn't leave any proofs. This was only one of the things that were assessed in this test. Unfortunately, none of the competitors had caught on the true objective of this test, which, in Ibiki's humble opinion, was quite obvious. But these kids were inexperienced and easily destabilized. Perhaps if he heated things up a little more...

In front of him were the two smartest kids in the lot. Shikaku's kid –nothing surprising there- and that peculiar pink haired girl whose family he had never heard of. Both teams desperately needed that point. He'd make them earn it.

''Here is the question: Two hundred miles north-east from the Hidden Waterfall village is rumored to be the secret hideout of a criminal organization that has been spying on several ninja villages. According to reports, the members of this organization are all rogues from Stone and Cloud village. Thirty percent of the members are female. Their most recent mission was in-''

Naruto threw a nervous look at Sasuke. Although he was doing a better job at hiding it, he could tell Sasuke was just as worried as he was. The dark haired teen turned to his teammate.

''What's the deal with this question? The others weren't as long...'' Naruto whispered.

''He's doing it on purpose,'' Sasuke explained. ''He's adding useless details to make them lose track or forget the essential information.'' Plus, with the poison missing with our head, it's be even more difficult, he added to himself.

''This isn't right... this just isn't right,'' Naruto muttered to himself again. What was the point in hosting this test if it made everybody fail? If it weren't for the poison, he supposed he could live with this failure, but... At this point, I don't care about the test; I just want the antidote for my friends! Naruto thought to himself.

''-most of the weapons they used are made from an alloyed only found in the land of Wind.'' Ibiki dragged the question on and on. He could see the sweat pouring down the two kids' foreheads, but their concentration was absolute. Yet, he could also tell that the longer he made his question, the weaker Yamanaka's control of her jutsu was. ''Considering the above, what would be the best course of action for the villages of Cloud and Stone to arrest the group of criminals considering their respective political relationships as well as that with the village of Waterfall?''

Sakura looked at Ino's impersonator and found some comfort in the fact that Shikamaru was just as thrown off by the question as she was. This question, like many others, had many, many possible answers... yet, it would not be as easy and quick to reply. There were too many elements to take in consideration and many that could be discarded. But which? Had they remembered all the details correctly?

Alright, Sakura, calm down... Let's go over this quickly... Waterfall is known for-

''D-do you think Sakura can answer that?'' Naruto asked his partner quietly.

''I think she can... she just needs to figure it out faster than Shikamaru. Then, we'll be safe,'' Sasuke replied, eyes fixed on the two genins at the front of the room. But it just didn't sit well with Naruto.

''Even if we get it... that means Shikamaru's team will probably end up losing all their points.''

This made Sasuke turned to him.

''We don't have a choice; it's us or them.''

''But-''

''That's what it'll be like on high ranked missions, Naruto... we might have to abandon teammates in order to save ourselves.''

''But that's the opposite of what Kakashi-sensei taught us, you know?'' Naruto whispered back heatedly. It's not like he didn't understand situations like this; he knew plenty about sacrifice, but... ''I understand that the reality is something else, but... this is an exam, for god's sake! Why would they sacrifice potential shinobi forces for an exam?''

''Hey, quiet down, kid,'' the chunin guarding the antidotes said. Naruto turned to him, but didn't say anything. He just glared at the older man. His desperate blue eyes then fell on the cart which carried all the vials once again.

And the antidotes are right there!

Naruto's mind went blank.

The antidotes were right there... and... there were so many of them! In fact, there were enough for everybody! Why?! If only a third of them could get them, why prepare so many?

Wait, maybe they made enough in case everybody decided the give up? But that didn't sound right.

This whole thing didn't sound right.

The exam was too hard and uselessly dangerous. Naruto simply didn't believe villages would just agree to potentially lose so many future soldiers for an exam.

He thought of what Kakashi had taught them. He wanted to save his team, but also all of his friends. Because even if they did manage to pass this test, he'd never be able to live with himself if that meant Shikamaru's team had to fall. Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.

Naruto abruptly rose from his seat, knocking the chair down loudly in the process. All wide eyes turned to him. He turned towards all the participants in the room.

''Listen! We don't have to go through this stupid exam!''

''Naruto-'' Sasuke started warningly, but the blond would have none of it.

''The antidotes are right there!'' He pointed towards the cart ''We might only be genins, but there's only two of them!'' He said, referring to Ibiki and the other chunin. ''Are you really willing to risk becoming a freakin' zombie? I sure am not! If we all work together, we can beat them and just take the antidote!''

Whispers broke among all teams. The ones that had few or even only one point left were nodding in agreement. Others seemed more skeptical.

''If you do this, you are breaking the rules. Anyone who attacks us will be disqualified and banned from the Chunin exams and will never be able to enter again.''

''Who cares!'' Naruto replied instantly. ''It's better than just sit and let our lives be played with!'' Naruto took out his kunai and turned to the crowd again. ''So who's with me?!''

Sasuke chuckled to himself and went into a fighting stance. Everything finally clicked in his brain. Naruto probably hadn't realized it, but he had actually figured out the true purpose of the exam.

''I am,'' Sasuke replied confidently.

Sakura turned to her teammates, surprise clearly written all over her face. Her eyes met with Sasuke and his nod made her understand. With all of this commotion, she had forgotten half of the information of the question anyways. She had nothing to lose and would not let her teammates down. She adopted a fighting stance as well.

''It's a drag, but at this point...'' Shikamaru –still in Ino's body- sighed and readied himself for battle.

''Then let's get those antidotes!'' Naruto exclaimed and leaped towards the chunin guarding the cart. His attack was quickly deflected. Sasuke followed and was kicked back as well, but that would not discourage them. The two genins jumped back onto their feet and charged again.

Sakura and Shikamaru rushed over to help them, but were stopped in their tracks by Ibiki who moved in front of them at blinding speed. They started to engage in combat, but were easily overpowered by the Jonin's superior skills. Shikamaru also wasn't used to this body and could feel's Ino's control slip away.

''Sh-shika... can't- hold-'' Ino trembled in Shikamaru's form until she had to let go. Ino –now back in her body- collapsed. Sakura quickly caught her fall.

''Come on, Choji,'' Shikamaru barked as soon as he was back in his own body, ''let's go get this annoying exam over with!'' Choji, who was still a little dumbstruck by the sudden turn of events, finally snapped out of his stupor and rose to his feet. Shikamaru and Choji quickly joined Sakura to defend her and Ino from harm.

''Those guys are really rebelling...'' Neji whispered to himself in disbelief. Something green moved in the corner of his eyes and he quickly turned to see Lee who was prepared to join in the fight. ''What are you doing?!'' Neji protested.

''I admire their courage and their willingness to sacrifice their career in order to save their friends. If that is not the meaning of being a true ninja, then I don't care to be one!'' He flashed Neji a confident and sparkling smile. ''Yosh! Let's do this!'' He jumped over the table and joined Sasuke and Naruto against the chunin; now things were starting to turn to their advantage.

''Lee's right, Neji,'' Tenten added. ''This feels much more right to me than this whole exam!'' She took out her scrolls, ready to attack as well.

''Come on guys, let's get an antidote too! If those guys aren't afraid to do it, then neither am I'' Neji turned to the speaker, a genin from a foreign village. More and more participants decided to join into the fight. Neji was forced to accept the situation he was in; he wanted to become a chunin, but his team probably wasn't going to succeed this particular test anytime soon considering the increasing level of difficulty of the questions. He had to admit that the Uzumaki was right; it was better to stay a genin and fight for his and his teammates survival; there was more honor in that.

Soon, all the participants were all up and ready to fight; many had rushed forward for offensive attacks while others had activated supportive jutsus.

And then suddenly a loud triumphant trumpet song played, stopping all the genins in their momentum. A giant canvas fell from the ceiling. It was bright orange with flashy blue writing spelling out ''CONGRATS!'' with red confettis flying around. Utterly confused, the genins turned to the proctor, who had a wide grin on his face. Ibiki looked at his watch.

''It took you longer than I expected, but at least you succeeded, and there is more of you than I thought. Congratulations, you all pass the first exam.''

''... Wait, what?'' Naruto blinked. Ibiki turned to him.

''And it's all thanks to you kid,'' Ibiki chuckled. ''Chunins are the leaders of their group; they make the decisions that can change the fate of their group for better or worse. Chunins must make decisions under precarious circumstances and motivate their subordinates to follow them no matter the risks. You, kid, were able to do that.''

''... I was?'' Naruto blinked then looked at the other genins in the room. Most of them were as confused and dumbfounded as he was. A few others however, like Sasuke and Shikamaru, actually seemed to level with the Jounin. Sasuke took a few steps closer to his blond teammate and squeezed his shoulder.

''You've actually outdone us on this one, dobe,'' he said with a smile. ''I'm impressed.''

''So... that's it?'' A genin from cloud country muttered. ''Our brains will be alright? And we'll be able to continue the exam?''

Ibiki nodded and gestured towards the chunin and stepped aside so everyone could grab an antidote.

''That's right. All it took was for one of you to catch on. Dire situations bring out true character. We wanted to see who you really are. All of you joined into the fight, so you all pass. If some of you had decided to stay back, they would be the ones to have failed. We wouldn't have let the poison affect you, obviously; we're not willing to dispose our young forces so easily... besides, the rest of the exam is there for that; there will be other times where you will show us whether or not you have the physical qualifications to be a chunin. This test was about having the guts. So you pass.''

''Wow,'' Sakura breathed out, shoulders slopping with relief. She turned towards Naruto and threw him a wide grin. ''Turns out you were the one to make us pass this one!'' Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

''Wow... thanks, haha,'' Naruto's faced reddened under all the grateful stares. He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

OoOoO

Team seven was walking out of the building along with several other teams from different rooms. Some of the genins were still doing the exam, while others had come out a while ago. Team seven was discussing this particular test and predicting what the others might be. This truly had opened their eyes to the type of challenges they might face and that not everything would be as they seemed. Look underneath the underneath, Kakashi would say.

''Still, I would have liked to know who would have answered the question first; you or Shikamaru. You both are super smart, but I always wonder who's the best, you know?'' He turned to his female teammate. ''I personally think you're the best, Sakura-chan!'' The girl chuckled.

''I'm actually glad you interrupted us... that was way too much pressure on me. Besides, we might be both smart, but we're different kinds of smart. I know a lot of stuff, but Shikamaru is better at analysing situations than me... so it's hard to say. I think I had a better understanding of what all the variables, but Shikamaru might have found the answer faster than me. So I'm happy it turned out the way it did.''

''I agree,'' Sasuke replied simply. ''I should have figured things out sooner. It makes way more sense from that perspective; the situation they had put us under was just way too unnecessarily extreme, now that I think about it. I've just always heard about the chunin exams being so hard that I thought that was it.''

''Hey, wait up!'' They heard Ino's unsteady voice call out. Team seven turned towards team ten who was jogging to catch up to them. Ino was still looking quite weak and pale, but at least she had woken up from her sleep. She turned her admiring eyes towards Naruto. Sasuke rolled his eyes; there she goes again.

''What you did was so cool, Naruto-kun! You basically saved us all! You were the first to figure out the true purpose of the test!''

''I gotta say, I'm impressed too,'' Shikamaru said nonchalantly, hands buried in his pockets. ''You're actually smarter than I thought. Were your grades in school just a fluke or something?''

''Heh?'' Naruto blinked. ''I'm not sure I'm following you.'' Sasuke, beside him, started snickering.

''You got it all wrong,'' Sasuke explained. ''Naruto isn't smart-''

''-hey!'' The blond punched his friends arm, but the latter ignored him.

''-he's just good at doing the right thing.'' Naruto's glared melted into surprise, then fondness. Shikamaru looked back and forth between the two.

''Then... you hadn't figured it out? You just took the risk and rebelled?''

''I guess I did,'' Naruto laughed nervously, embarrassment rushing back to his cheeks again.

''You really are something,'' Shikamaru chuckled.

OoOoO

''So, how did the test go?'' The Third Hokage asked, sitting calmly at his desk. All the proctors from the first test were present... except two. ''Where are Seto and Watanabe?''

The proctors exchanged sad looks. Morino Ibiki was the one to step forward and explain.

''They were killed,'' he stated simply. Sarutobi nearly dropped his pipe.

''Killed?!''

''Yes,'' Ibiki nodded and continued. ''The test had almost just started. One of the genins killed them both and walked out of the room and grabbed an antidote on his way... the others were completely thrown off but eventually did the same and left.''

''Let me guess,'' Sarutobi said gravely, expression sober. ''It was the Ichibi's container, the genin from Sand village.'' Ibiki nodded.

''How should we respond?'' One of the other proctors asked.

''Normally,'' Sarutobi sighed. ''He technically didn't break any rules. The point was for them to rebel and take the antidote for themselves... he succeeded the test. All those in that room pass as planned.''

''But-''

''That is my order,'' Sarutobi interrupted firmly. ''I am deeply saddened to have already lost two good shinobis, but such is life. Our time to fight back hasn't come yet. If the Kazekage truly has planned to do to us what he did to Uzushio, then I have no doubt he will manifest himself. We cannot attack without proof. We will wait for him to strike first and we will be ready.''

The shinobi's expressions grew more serious and determined. They nodded in agreement with the Kage.

''Every action that this child poses gives us a better understanding of the situation with his seal. We must report every detail to Uzumaki Minato-san so he and his son can plan their move. If anyone can deal with the Ichibi's jailer, it's them. Until they are ready, we must concentrate on our own counter attack against our enemy.''

''Yes, sir!''

OoOoO

Sakura had parted from her teammates to go back home. The two boys were left to share part of the journey home before their own separation. They were both exhausted, now that the adrenaline rushed had finally subsided. They wanted nothing more than to crash onto their bed. Thus they didn't say much until they reached the intersection at which their paths diverted. Naruto was about to say goodbye, when Sasuke interrupted him before he did.

''I'm proud to be your friend,'' Sasuke said sincerely. You never cease to surprise me.

''.. thanks,'' Naruto finally said, slightly taken aback by the sudden confession. His cheeks were tickling slightly. He never thought his action today would warrant so many praises. After initial surprise, Naruto smiled brightly.

''You were the first to follow, so it means a lot to me,'' the blond said. And he meant every word. He already knew Sasuke trusted him, but it always felt good to see that trust incarnated.

Sasuke said nothing. He simply returned the smile with his more modest one and waved goodbye to his friend. Naruto did the same and both walked away to go home.

On his way, though, Naruto passed by a near-empty park where he could see a familiar figure sitting on one of the swings. Curious, the blond took several steps closer and finally recognized her. It was Temari. He wanted to call out her name, but he saw that she was deep in thought and her eyes were red and puffy. She had clearly been crying.

He took slow, careful steps towards her until she finally noticed his presence. She didn't say anything and simply waited until he was sitting beside her on another swing.

Naruto wasn't sure what to say. Temari provided the icebreaker.

''We passed the first test...'' Temari clearly didn't look happy about it, so Naruto guarded himself from congratulating her. ''Thanks to Gaara.''

Naruto swallowed thickly.

''He just killed them. They didn't even ask the first question. As soon as they had explained the rules, Gaara just raised his hand like this,'' she imitated his brother's gesture. She raised her hand slowly and clenched her fist. ''And they were gone...''

Naruto looked down to his lap. His heart ached for the sand siblings.

''My brother's gone...''

''He's not,'' Naruto reassured firmly. ''The roles were just reversed; now Gaara is the prisoner and Shukaku's taking control. We can save him just like we did back then.''

Temari's expression softened a little bit. Her eyes turned more hopeful. Naruto was right: Gaara had been saved once, so he could be saved again.

''What can I do?'' She asked, determined.

''Tell me everything. Tell me all the details of when he started acting like this again. Even the details you find useless might help.''

She nodded and proceeded to tell him everything.

OoOoO

''Have a seat,'' Sarutobi told his guest politely. The tall blond man did as told and sat in front of the Hokage's desk. It was quite late in the evening and the Hokage tower was nearly empty.

''Let me first congratulate you on your son's success,'' the old man said with a smile. ''You must be proud.''

''Very,'' Minato replied earnestly. The Third chuckled and took a deep breath into his pipe. His demeanor changed slightly.

''You also must have heard of what happened with the One-Tail's jinchuriki. Minato nodded. ''I'd like your thoughts on this.''

''Right,'' Minato said with a deep sigh. ''My son met Gaara's sister on his way home. He told me some interesting information. The most important one being the timing of Gaara's change in behaviour. It started almost immediately after Uzushio was destroyed.''

''Interesting... do you think the Kazekage discovered some documents there that could have helped him to toy with the seal?'' Minato shook his head.

''Impossible. No one was able to steal from Uzushio's library; Naruto and I confirmed this on our trip there.''

''What about the mask?''

''It's a dangerous item, but it can't be used in this way.''

''Do you have a theory, then?''

Minato stroke his chin, deep in thought. He did have one idea... it was a stretch but it was the only explanation he could think of.

''I think the Kazekage is actually an imposter.'' Sarutobi's eyes went wide. ''No one in Sand village has the ability to modify the seal Kushina put on Gaara. If anyone in Sand –or their allies- did, then they would have done so before the attack on Uzushio so they could use Gaara against us. And no matter how desperate the Kazekage is, he would never plan an attack on Konoha so soon after Uzushio. It just doesn't make sense.''

''I see...'' The Third nodded. ''Do you think it might be a traitor from Uzushio? Someone within the village took the opportunity during the attack to take the Kazekage's place?''

''It's a possibility... Someone from Uzushio could have easily done this to Gaara's seal, but I really don't see who could have done this. And to take the Kazekage's place... I don't think an Uzushio-nin could have done this,'' he explained. ''Have you met the Kazekage yet?''

''I have, briefly. I saw nothing suspicious. I don't think the imposter's using a genjutsu, otherwise I would have sensed it. Something along mind control –like the Yamanaka's techniques- is more plausible.''

''So... the impersonator, or someone close to them, have strong abilities in sealing, they can potentially control the mind of the Kazekage or take on his appearance undetected and hold a grudge against Konoha. They obviously don't care about Suna's forces; they know that attacking Konoha would ruin Suna, even if they won with the help of their allies.''

Sarutobi took a deep breath from his pipe again. He expelled the smoke with a sigh, eyes closed in concentration. After a moment, he opened them and stared at the blond man.

''I think I know who it is.''

Notes:

For SL readers who are wondering why I decided to stop Silver Lining where I did and continue the story as a separate fic is because WWB will have a different focus and different format.
SL was about 1. exploring Uzushio and giving it a history/culture, 2. Naruto coping with its destruction and adapting to Konoha. 3. Mostly family/friendship-focused
WWB will focus solely on Konoha and will 1. not contain anymore flashbacks from Naruto's childhood 2. be in chronological order 3. look at budding romantic feelings between Sasuke and Naruto.

Hope that answers some questions. :)