Of all the things Iruka had expected that day, when he was told he would be greeting the Chunin hopefuls that made it to the tower, the scene that welcomed him was very low on the list. Naruto stood there, hands clasped behind his back and his cape swishing behind him in the closed room dramatically. Shikamaru stood behind him, rolling his eyes at the blonde, followed by Ino who was carrying Sakura on her back and Chōji who was carrying Sasuke, and another girl, one he hadn't seen before, bringing up the rear.

"Naruto… Explain. Please?"

"Two sets of scrolls." The blond motioned to the two scrolls crisscrossed on the floor while Shikamaru gave Iruka another set.

"Yes, but-" Naruto sighed.

"No time. Take the others to their rooms. I have to speak to the Hokage. Now."

"Naruto, I'm you teacher, not your subordinate."

"I don't have time for this. Kin, come."

"Yes, Your Lordship." Naruto gave her a quick glance before shaking his head, and leading her through the door.

"Naruto, wait! Oh, for the love of…"

"Um, Sensei?" Iruka turned around to glance at the three Genin still standing. "Can we just…?"

"Yeah, alright. Come on, let's go." Iruka said, resigned to his fate.

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"Naruto, why can I hear Iruka grumbling from here?"

"He's just mad I didn't have time to waste arguing with him."

"Somehow, that doesn't… Never mind. You obviously have something important on your mind, so let's get it over with." The blond nodded.

"Meet Kin, who was, up until very recently, a Genin kunoichi of Oto. She has some things she wants to say."

"I…" The girl looked very uncomfortable being put on the spot like that. "Where should I start, Your Worship?" Naruto glanced at her before giving a small shake.

"Why don't you start with Orochimaru, and work your way up from there.

"'Your Worship'? Naruto, that's-" The old Kage's eyes narrowed at the girl, earning a small yelp. "Orochimaru?" He asked, sounding very serious.

"Um, yes… I…"

"Well? Speak, girl!"

"Hiruzen!" Naruto cut in sharply, standing in front of Kin. The girl instantly relaxed. "She is one of my people, and has come here to speak willingly." The Hokage glared at him. Naruto stood his ground. "This is not an interrogation. And you will not act like it is, or I will take her away." The Hokage glared for a little while longer, before deflating with a tired sigh.

"Yes, of course. Forgive me, Kin-san. Whenever you're ready."

"It's ok Kin." Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and moved to the side.

"Well, I was just a Genin, so I don't know a whole lot."

"That's quite alright, Kin-san. Just tell me what you can."

"Right. L- Orochimaru is the real leader of Oto. It's not a Hidden Village in the normal sense, but actually a series of separate underground bases which he would use to move around, avoiding your spies. He was rarely at the same base with most of the forces, and nobody except his lieutenants knew the location of every one."

"Do you know the names and descriptions of these lieutenants." Kin nodded. "Then please give us those as well later."

"One of them you should know about right now. His name is Yakushi Kabuto, and he's posing as a Konoha Genin in the Exams."

"Kabuto? Adopted son of the late Yakushi Nonō?"

"I remember her, from the orphanage." Naruto commented. "Nice woman."

"Yes, him. I don't think he's ever talked about his mother in front of anyone. Maybe Tayuya would know."

"And Tayuya is?"

"One of the Sound Five, Orochimaru's bodyguards. But… she was my friend. My King, if there's any…" Kin trailed off, looking towards the blond.

"We'll see." Was all Naruto said.

"There's something else you should know. The curator of one of Orochimaru's laboratories is an Uzumaki."

"What?" Naruto's and Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Where?"

"I… don't know. I'm sorry, Naruto-sama."

"But you're sure it's an Uzumaki."

"Tayuya's never lied to me." Kin said, completely convinced in her words. "I'm sure."

"I see." Naruto sat in the chair with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Kin-san, if we could go back to the main issue. What exactly is Orochimaru's plan here?"

"Well…"

I must say I am surprised Sire. Slifer called out from within Naruto. I half expected you to run off immediately in search of your lost family.

If I had any idea of where she is, I'd be there already. But she'll have to stay at that laboratory for a while. At least until the end of the Exams. After that… He lifted his eyes, noticing Kin and Hiruzen were done with their discussion. "Kin, you're dismissed. Go find a Chunin and get them to show you to your room. I'll be by later and we'll finish our discussion."

"Of course Naruto-sama." The brunette gave a small bow and left. Naruto walked up to the Hokage.

"It's one mess after the other." The older man muttered to the younger one as he sat in front of the table. "Were you listening?"

"With one ear. This news…"

"I understand." The Hokage said, pulling out a bottle of sake and two saucers. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I think we could both use it. 'Old enough to kill', and all that?"

"Right." Naruto said, knocking the alcohol back in one gulp. "I've realized something, just now. You're not gonna like it."

"You're leaving." The Hokage drank his own saucer before refilling both.

"I see there's at least one edge you still haven't lost." Naruto grinned, getting a faux-bashful smile in return. "But I'm not leaving the village. Not yet. There are four Genin in the Exams which I know for sure are descendants of my people. That makes them my responsibility. Not to mention my family, which the entire world is apparently against me having."

"I'm surprised. That takes a lot of maturity."

"What, abandoning your responsibilities?"

"No. Choosing how to prioritize them. I'll be sad to see you go." The Hokage gave a small toast. "And the girl?"

"If she really wants to become a Konoha ninja, I won't stop her. We'll make some sort of treaty when everything is done."

"Good. But let's solve problems as they come. And this first one is coming soon. I'll call you when Jiraiya gets here. Go get some rest."

"Right." He drank the last saucer and got up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

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"Naruto-sama." Kin stood by one of the beds of the room they had gotten at the tower. "They gave the two of us this room to share, I hope that's acceptable."

"It's fine Kin." Naruto turned to his own bed and removed his cloak, tossing it over one of the chairs.

"Naruto-sama?"

"Hm?"

"Are you… angry with me?" Naruto turned around with a raised eyebrow. Kin looked at the ground, half-remorseful and half-afraid.

"Should I be?"

"I'm very sorry for not telling you about your family. I just..."

"It's alright Kin. The forest wasn't really the ideal place for that kind of information. And I'd rather no one but the three of us know about her until I get the situation sorted out." Kin let out a sight of relief. "You did good, Kin."

"Thank you Naruto-sama. If I may?" He nodded. "How are you handling it?"

"I'm not. How are you?

"What do you mean?"

"This Tayuya obviously means a lot to you, but you'll be on opposing sides the next time you meet. Are you ready for that?"

"No. I'm not." Kin gulped, holding back tears. "But I'm hopeful. Hopeful that you can do something to help her. Hopeful she'll listen."

"Hold on to that hope. It'll get you through the night."