Ch. 18-Epilogue

"So Baki is your new Kage?" Naruto asked his partner, Garra nodded and then gave a small smile.

"He has allowed me to become a citizen of Konoha, a shinobi even as long as your Hokage agrees." Naruto snorted, he and Iruka had known that the kage of the Sand was not happy to lose their only jinchuriki regardless of how they treated him while he was there.

"So now that they do not have you, they want you? How fucked up is that. Good thing you are going to stay here then, bet they were so pissed off when they realised how happy the old man was to have you and not reject you like they thought." Garra nodded, it was true but he was happy as long as he was with Naruto and to a lesser extent Iruka. Iruka had been very helpful over the past month since the exams, getting the two boys out of trouble and helping them move Garra's stuff into Naruto's apartment. Despite all the missions both Iruka and Naruto were getting as ANBU both were consistently up early and helping out. Garra and Genma both found it strange, but didn't complain.

Genma and Iruka were still going strong and they did have an active sex life which scarred everyone around them. The rookie nine were pushing them harder, especially when they found out that Naruto was ANBU. Neji had gotten over blaming everything on fate and was slowly integrating with the rest of society in a normal way, even having an amiable relationship with Hinata. Team nine had already decided on going to the next chunin exams and so trained for that. Team ten was the same and so was Team eight, all training themselves to the brink and a fair few had already been to the hospital for collapsing with exhaustion, Ino and Choji in particular. Naruto and Garra were the only ones to make chunin, however there was a good chance that Shikamaru and Shino would get tested privately for the chunin rank as neither of them had the chance to battle in the exams. Everyone thought it likely that they would ascend to the higher rank and their mothers had already started planning the celebrations, inciting a typical reaction from Shikamaru; "Troublesome."

Team seven on the other hand, had degenerated into pathetic squabbling. Surprisingly to Iruka and Naruto it was not because of Kakashi. Kakashi had apparently stepped up and tried to train Sakura and Sasuke together, but Sakura just wanted to watch Sasuke and the Uchiha was demanding to be taught the strongest attacks possible, a demand that the Hokage said, Kakashi was ignoring in an effort to stop the ego of the Uchiha growing to astronomical heights. Sasuke was insisting that Garra had stolen Naruto and it was his job to become stronger so that he may take what is his, as he was an Uchiha and Uchiha's always get what they want. Kakashi had begged the Hokage to give him another team and it had only been a month since the chunin exams! After spying on Kakashi trying his hardest to train the two properly and failing did Sarutobi finally agree, he could tell that the Hakate had turned over a new leaf. Sakura was sent to train under medic Nins and Sasuke, after treatment from a psychiatrist went to train with Ibiki and Anko, both Jounin under strict instructions what to teach the boy.

An aspect of Kakashi's life that had caused Sarutobi to realise the shift in his behaviour was a relationship. It appeared that in the face of being rejected by Iruka so many times, that Kakashi had finally given up and started dating a jounin with the T&I unit, Anko took great pleasure in making fun of the two. However her own blossoming relationship with Ibiki stopped her from going too far.

Garra had been promoted to chunin and was striving to become jounin and then ANBU like Naruto. Naruto had reclaimed his place as Shadow Kitsune and was partnered again with his brother. In terms of their relationship; Garra and Naruto's relationship was progressing quite slowly, neither had much affection growing up and they did not want to risk going to fast and then regretting it later because they hadn't known something. Both were satisfied with their relationship and their lives as a whole, even with Sasuke's demented thoughts and some villager's continuing prejudice.

The End