A/N

Sorry, Language. Tayuya's like that.

Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Naruto- 13 years old

"What are we doing?" Sakura whispered to Hinata, her hand in front of her mouth.

"Following Naruto." Hinata answered simply, shrugging. It's not like this was anything new.

Team Nine reached the top of the cliff, the Yondaime's head some 100 yards off to their right. Far below them there was a lake, shimmering in the sun. The midday sun beat down upon them, but the wind up here was cool, strong, blowing Hinata's long hair to the side.

Naruto turned around to face them, his eyes alight, and a daring grin on his face. He wasn't breathing hard from the climb; none of them were. It must be something to do with Iruka's hellish endurance training, Hinata supposed.

"Do you guys trust me?" He asked, grinning.

The others exchanged looks. Naruto always asked them that before they did something life-threatening.

Hinata looked around, and when no one else said anything, she found herself answering for all of them. "Against all reason."

Naruto grinned at her, and she was forced to look away, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Give me about thirty seconds to get down there, then follow me, preferably one at a time." He told them.

Then he turned around, a huge grin on his face, eyes alight, and took three running steps, launching himself out into midair. He did a back flip, and disappeared out of sight, falling like a rock.

The others gasped, and rushed to the edge, to see him falling towards the lake below.

"That's suicidal." Sakura said frankly.

"Only an idiot would do something like that." Ino agreed.

"Way too troublesome." Shikamaru said.

"How are we supposed to beat Akatsuki if we get killed by a lake?" Sasuke asked.

Meanwhile, Kiba was counting aloud. "Thirteen...fourteen."

"This is very illogical." Shino added.

"There's no way we're doing that." Chouji said, his hands on his hips.

"Twenty...twenty-one." Kiba was still counting.

"No way." Hinata agreed, a small smile on her face.

"We have a responsibility to the village." Sakura said.

"We'd be irresponsible if we risked our lives doing something like this." Ino continued.

"Exactly." Sakura agreed.

"Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty." Kiba said.

They all froze, staring at each other, waiting for someone to make a move. Then, simultaneously, they all broke out into a run, and hurled themselves out into open air.

Kiba whooped, Ino screamed, Hinata giggled, and Sasuke stayed silent, a fierce grin on his face. Shino fell like a stone, his arms and legs strapped to his sides, and there definitely, definitely was not a grin on his face, under his collar.

Akamaru barked, wagging his tail in mid air.

Hinata giggled like a crazy person the entire way down, the wind tearing at her from below. She fell, weightless, pin wheeling her arms uselessly.

Sasuke fell face first, eyes wide-open, even as the wind tearing at his eyes caused tears to spring up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

Suddenly, a gust of warm air hit them, slowing their descent. But they were still going too fast, and they would hit the lake in a second or two. Then the gust intensified, almost blowing Sasuke back upwards. Suddenly the gust disappeared, and gravity took hold of him again, and two seconds later, he hit the lake, the impact knocking the wind out of him.

He flailed for a moment, getting his bearings, then broke the surface of the water, gasping for breath. He climbed out, to see Naruto standing on the surface of the lake. He was drenched, his hair dripping, and he had a grin still plastered on his face.

"I told you guys to come one at a time!" He said in mock anger.

"As if we were gonna sit in line and wait our turn." Sasuke said, taking off his jacket and wringing it out.

Naruto laughed, turning away.

"It's a good thing you told us to bring a change of clothes, Naruto." Sakura said, picking up her change of clothes from the shore. Ino and Hinata were next to her, and Naruto took a second to wonder why the sight of Hinata, absolutely soaked, her clothes stuck tightly to her skin, made him blush.

Akamaru wagged his tail, sitting on the beach, and barked at them playfully.

"I'm gonna change. There better not be any peaking. Or else." Sakura said, her eyes burning. "That goes for little dogs, too."

Akamaru wagged his tail faster.

"Honestly. Women are so scary." Kiba said, picking up his own clothes.

"No kidding." Shikamaru agreed, next to him.

Naruto was surprised to see that Shino had somehow managed to land on the surface on the lake, and other than his ankles, was completely dry.

He turned to see Sasuke grinning at him. "What?"

"Let's do that again."

Naruto grinned. "I'll race you to the top."

There was the sound of a mad dash through the forest, off to their left, and Sakura looked up from where she was changing. "What was that?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Boys. There's no way I'm climbing that mountain again."

xxxx

"As you know, the Sand Daimyo and I have had a disagreement recently. He has been sending more and more of the missions that are rightfully ours to Konoha."

It was rare for the Kazekage to come out from behind his curtain, but their father had done so for this occasion. He was pacing back and forth in front of them, his head bowed and his face obscured by the veil on his Kage Hat.

"I am sending you to Konoha for the Chunin Exams. I expect you to make an impression. Show all the rich merchants in attendance, as well as our own Daimyo, what Suna shinobi are made of, and why we should be receiving the missions instead of that pathetic leaf village."

He stopped his pacing, surveying the three occupants of the room. Temari and Kankuro were kneeling in front of him, their eyes on the floor. Gaara, of course, stood staring at him, his arms crossed and his mouth twitching.

"That means that you need to behave yourselves as well. People don't hire lunatics for missions. I'm speaking to you Gaara."

Gaara said nothing, but held his eyes, forcing the Kazekage to look away.

"Do not fail me."

"Yes, father." Temari said obediently, her gaze still on the floor.

"You may go."

Temari and Kankuro rose, bowed, and exited.

Gaara stood there, staring at him, his mouth still twitching. The Kazekage thought, for a split second, that Gaara was about to attack him. But then Gaara turned, saying nothing, and followed his siblings out the door.

The Kazekage, without realizing it, let out a breath in relief.

xxxx

"Unfortunately, Team Nine is still in rotation, so the next team will be Team Ten." It gave the Hokage an unusual amount of satisfaction to say those words.

He should've thought of naming the new teams by number a long time ago.

xxxx

Sunlight, a rare oddity, was streaming in through the window. Of course, the rain never stopped pattering against the roof, not even when the sunlight shined briefly. They were in a meeting room, at the top of the sky-scraper in the very center of Hidden Rain. Their Leader, Konan, Orochimaru and Sasori were all present, and the rest of the members were projections; somewhat see-through, and shimmering with colors.

"We called this meeting to announce the completion of Phase One. We are now completely in control of the Village Hidden in the Rain."

"Still think we should've used the Hidden Mist instead..." Zabuza muttered.

"Oh, shut up already, Un." Deidara said, exasperated.

Ice senbon crystals formed in Haku's hand. His voice was soft and deadly, "Talk like that to Zabuza-sama again-"

"What are you gonna do? I'm a projection, Un." Deidara interrupted.

Haku opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted.

"Enough." Their leader's calm, deep voice, sliced across the conversation.

Konan continued for him, "Phase One is complete, there is no point arguing further. Orochimaru and Sasori have supplied us with a village so firmly under our control that it might as well be part of Akatsuki. Kakuzu and Zabuza have beheaded Gato, and we have gained control of his vast monetary resources. It is time for Phase Two."

"If I might make a suggestion." Orochimaru's smooth voice cut in. "While it is true that most of the Jinchuuriki stand little to no chance against us, I have sources that say that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki are becoming quite talented ninja."

"They're like 13 years old!" Kisame laughed. "I fail to see the problem."

"Do not underestimate them." Haku said. "A child, if properly driven, can become a sharp tool indeed."

"Just so." Orochimaru purred, looking across at Haku. "While I doubt that the Nine-tails Jinchuuriki will give us much trouble, given what we have planned for them, it won't hurt to follow their progress a little more closely. Especially since we have elected to leave them for last."

"What do you suggest?"

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "A test."

His partner, Sasori, spoke up. "We can slip in several of our agents under the guise of "Rain genin" to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams. We have sources that say that the Hokage is planning on entering the Jinchuuriki in the exams. We even have sources that say that the Kazekage is sending his son, the Ichibi Jinchuuriki to the exams. We can have some fun with him too, while we're at it."

"The Ichibi Jinchuuriki?" Hidan asked. "He's the total nutcase, right?"

"Takes one to know one..." Haku muttered.

"Yes." Konan answered quickly, trying to prevent an argument.

Tobi clasped his hands together. "OOoooohhh. I love tests, don't you Deidara-senpai?"

"Shut the hell up, Tobi, or I'll kill you, Un."

The Leader's eyes lingered on Tobi for a moment. Then he turned back to Orochimaru and Sasori. "Very well. Conduct your test, and observe the results. But under no circumstances are you to take a personal role. We cannot reveal our hand to Konoha just yet."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed, and Sasori might've grunted.

"The rest of you have Bijuu to fetch."

xxxx

"Chunin Exams?"

"Yes, we believe it's time." The Hokage said. Standing to the side were Asuma and Kushina. In front of them, all of Team Nine stood in front of the Hokage's desk.

"This will be the largest Chunin Exam in over a decade." Kushina said.

"It's a good time to remind the world how talented Konoha's shinobi can be." The Hokage's eyes gleamed, his small grin dangerous.

"And, it's a relatively safe way to pit you against some of the most talented shinobi of your generation." Asuma added, shooting a look at his father.

The Hokage coughed. "Um, yes. That's what I meant."

Chouji grinned, shooting a look at Shikamaru, who rolled his eyes with a small grin on his face.

Naruto grinned. "Sounds like fun."

xxxx

The room was cold, too cold. She suppressed a shiver. An aquarium was set in the wall, filled with a green liquid that bubbled constantly. That soft, green light was the only light in the small, damp, cold room.

Jirobo stood beside her, his hulk visible out of the corner of her eye. Sakon was further down, and Kidomaru was on the other side of him.

Tayuya kept her gaze focused on the floor, Orochimaru's long, silky black hair falling to the very top of her vision.

"Find the red-headed shinobi from Sand. He is the Kazekage's son, and a Jinchuuriki." Orochimaru stroked Tayuya's cheek. "Find Gaara of the Desert...then kill him." His voice was soft, deadly. Tayuya forced herself to stay still. Showing any reaction at all could be a deadly mistake.

"Wait." Sakon said, "Doesn't Akatsuki need the Jinchuuriki alive?"

There was a streak of movement, and Tayuya felt a gentle wind against her face. The next second, Sakon was pinned to the wall, Orochimaru directly in front of him.

Orochimaru pulled back his arm, and Tayuya saw that it was covered in gore. When he moved, Sakon was still pinned against the wall, his eyes glazed over, a huge crater in his chest. Slowly, he slumped to the floor and capsized sideways, leaving a bloody smear on the wall.

Tayuya felt bile rise in her throat, and she looked away. It wasn't that she had liked Sakon or Ukon. She'd despised them. But the pure brutality of the murder was enough to make even her feel nauseous.

"Any more questions?" Orochimaru purred, eyes glinting, kneeling down to wipe his arm on Sakon's pants.

Tayuya swallowed her disgust and fear. "No, sir. Gaara will die during the Chunin exams."

"See that he does." Orochimaru said softly, sweeping out of the room. "Your promotion might just become permanent."

Tayuya looked down. Her hands were shaking.

xxxx

"Konohamaru!" Sakura shouted. "Get back here you little turd!" Inner Sakura was laughing her ass off. Did Konohamaru really think she was that mad? If she had wanted to catch him, she could've done it in the blink of an eye.

But it was fun to chase him across the village and watch him glance over his shoulder, completely terrified.

Up until, glancing back over his shoulder, he plowed into a strange ninja. The ninja, dressed from head to toe in black robes, wearing make-up and a stupid-looking hat, picked Konohamaru up by his shirt.

"I hate little brats like this." The ninja said. "Watch where you're going, stupid."

The older blonde girl next to him shook her head.

"Hey, let him go!" Sakura shouted.

The ninja turned to look at her. "And now an annoying little girl, too. Perfect."

Sakura balled her fists. Who did he think he was talking to?

"Let. Him. Go." She ground out between clenched teeth, barely keeping her temper in check.

"I'll deal with you in a minute." The ninja told her. "After I teach this little maggot a lesson."

Sakura smelled a new scent on the wind, right before Kankuro swung his fist at Konohamaru. There was a small whistle, and a decent-sized stone cracked across Kankuro's wrist mid-swing.

"Shit!" Kankuro exclaimed, dropping Konohamaru and clutching his wrist in pain, turning to look at where the stone came from.

Sasuke was throwing a rock up and down, catching it in his palm, reclining against a nearby tree thirty feet in the air. He leveled his gaze down at Kankuro, a small frown on his face, as if Kankuro were an annoying ant crawling across the table. "Get lost."

His voice was even, almost bored. As if Kankuro wasn't even worth getting upset over.

"Another little punk!" Kankuro snarled. "I hate brats like you." He said, putting his bundle on the ground, flinging off the wrapping to reveal a wooden puppet.

Suddenly, Sasuke caught a scent on the wind.

"You're going to use that?" Temari asked, shocked.

"Enough, Kankuro." The deep, quiet voice came from behind Sasuke, who turned. A red-headed teen was standing upside down on a nearby branch.

"You're an embarrassment to our village."

"Uh...hi, Gaara." Kankuro chuckled, scratching the back of his head."These brats-"

"I don't care." Gaara interrupted. "We're supposed to behave, remember?" He said, his tone dark and amused.

"Y-yes, Gaara."

Gaara turned to look at Sasuke. He hit Kankuro in the wrist with that stone mid-swing. That's pretty good.

He disappeared, appearing back on the ground in a whirl of sand.

Sasuke jumped out of the tree, landing next to Sakura, who had Konohamaru hiding behind her.

"Let me guess. You're here for the Chunin Exams, right?" Sasuke asked. "What's your name?"

"Gaara of the Desert." The red-head replied, his eyes fixed on Sasuke. "What's yours."

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"I'll see you in the exam." Gaara said, turning and walking away, his siblings following him.

"Yeah." Sasuke turned, and walked away, Sakura beside him.

"I didn't need your protection, you know." She told him, her hands on her hips.

Sasuke turned and grinned, startling her. "I know. But that Kankuro guy sure did."

Meanwhile, two boys balanced precariously at the very top of the same tree. Even with their keen hearing, they had barely been able to make out the whole conversation.

"Is it just me, or did that red-head smell like-" Naruto started to ask.

"Raccoon?" Kiba asked. "Definitely."

"Hmmm." Naruto hummed thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on the retreating shinobi's back.

xxxx

It was the start of the Chunin Exams. Team Nine pushed their way through the mass of Shinobi crowding the doors, and started up a back staircase. Climbing the stairs seemed to take an unusually long time. The next landing they got to had a 3 next to the door.

"This is the third floor? Where was the second?" Naruto laughed. He opened the door, revealing a 301 over the first door.

"Something smells fishy here." Kiba said.

The rest turned to look at him. "Figuratively speaking, I mean." He said. "I don't actually smell fish..."

"Oh, shut up." Ino rolled her eyes. Akamaru wagged his tail.

"Come on." Naruto interrupted, before they could start bickering. "Let's go look at the next floor."

"Yeah." Sakura agreed. "We can just come back down again, we have plenty of time."

The next landing said 4. Naruto frowned.

"Well, maybe that was the third floor." Sakura said doubtfully.

"Then where's the second floor? That doesn't make sense." Sasuke said.

Naruto opened the door, and looked inside. He grinned, and waved them after him. Entering, the first door on the left had a gold 301 next to the door.

"It was all a genjutsu." Naruto said.

Shikamaru smirked. "Looks like they're testing us before the Exam even starts."

xxxx

Asuma and Kurenai were leaning against the side of the hall.

"Hey." Asuma said. "Glad to see you all made it."

"I hope you guys didn't shatter my illusion." Kurenai said, eying them.

"Nope." Naruto grinned. "We decided it was way too nice, and we should leave it for someone else to enjoy!"

Kurenai grinned back.

"That was your illusion, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. The proctors asked me to put it up."

"Well, anyway." Asuma said, straightening up. "I'm glad none of you chickened out, cause if one of you didn't show..." He busted out laughing. "Sorry, I can't even keep a straight face. You guys are gonna rock this thing."

Kurenai eyed him with a small smile on her face. "We're here to give you your teams. Obviously, it would be unfair if we kept you in a team of nine. So, Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto will be in one team. Chouji, Ino, and Shikamaru will be the next one, and Sakura, Kiba, and Shino will be the last team."

"You should know, though, there's no rule against different teams forming alliances inside the exam." Asuma said, and gave them a wink.

Kurenai punched him in the shoulder. "Don't give them any hints!" She exclaimed, red eyes flashing.

"Ow." Asuma said, rubbing his shoulder. "Crazy woman."

"Well, anyway." Kurenai said, turning and smiling. "Good luck. Not that you'll need it."

xxxx

"Wow that's a lot of people." Naruto said, the rest of the team behind him, just inside the doorway.

"No kidding." Ino agreed.

The room was filled with genin from, what looked like, all over the continent. And all of them looked like older teens, if not adults already.

"And they still haven't become Chunin yet?" Kiba laughed. "What a bunch of scrubs."

Immediately, the first row of genin turned to glare at him, their killing intent a feeble, weak thing compared to what Wolf, Kushina and Kakashi combined could produce.

"I'd be careful if I were you."

They turned around to see an older teenager with grey hair and glasses standing nearby. "Some of these guys are real veterans, on their second or third Chunin Exams. And right now, tensions are pretty high. You don't want to make a bunch of enemies right from the start. Especially as rookies."

"Thanks for the advice." Naruto said warily. "Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Kabuto." The teen said, holding out his hand.

"Naruto." Naruto responded, shaking his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"How many times have you taken the Exam, Kabuto-san?" Sakura asked.

"This'll be my sixth time." Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses, causing them to flash in the light.

"Wow, so you must be really prepared this time!" Sakura said.

"More like, you must really suck." Kiba laughed, causing Sakura to step on his foot.

Kabuto, rather than getting mad, just smiled patiently. "Well, the Chunin Exams aren't completely based on skill, you know. Part of it is luck; and I've gotten pretty unlucky recently."

"Uh-huh." Shikamaru said, eying him.

"Well anyway, I'd be willing to help you guys out a little, as a veteran from the same village. Check out these cards, I keep all the information I've gathered about the exams on these cards. Including the people here."

He took out a blank card, which glowed to life, showing a neat script below a small pie graph. "For example, this card shows the amount of ninja from each village present. Mostly leaf ninja, of course. But it looks like there are at least a few genin from every village, except Iwa obviously."

"Do you have anything on Gaara of the Desert?" Sasuke asked.

"Let's see. Ooh, B-ranks already." He remarked, showing Sasuke the card. "That's impressive, for a genin. Ah, he's the Kazekage's son, so that explains that."

"Hn." Sasuke said, studying the card intently.

"Well, thanks for your help." Naruto said, clearly dismissing the older genin.

"Anytime." Kabuto said, smiling. He waved, "Good luck in the exams." Then he disappeared into the crowd.

"I don't trust him." Kiba said immediately. "He stinks...like disinfectant. I hate that smell."

"No kidding." Sakura said, wrinkling her nose.

"His story doesn't make any sense." Shikamaru said.

"He was totally lying when he said that he'd been getting unlucky, by the way." Ino said.

"Most genin don't actually get promoted in these exams, anyway." Shikamaru said. "They get promoted personally by their Kage. He has to know that; so why take the Exam so many times? Because it fascinates him?" He asked, sarcastically. "So he can collect cards?"

"He has a weak handshake." Naruto said, scowling. "I can't trust a guy who hands me a dead fish for a handshake."

Hinata smiled. "We'll be seeing him again."

Naruto studied her, forcing her to look away. "Yeah." He said softly.

xxxx

A ninja stands under a large oak tree, hiding in its shadow. The tree is thirty feet tall, and the ninja is six feet tall. However, a large wasp's nest is settled in the tree. If the solar angle is 60 degrees, how far away from the trunk of the tree can the ninja stand while keeping himself in the tree's shadow?

A little picture was drawn to the side.

Sakura smirked. Algebra? Trig? This was like, so last year.

Iruka would be furious that something so elementary was on the Chunin Exam.

xxxx

"But first you need to decide if you even want to take the tenth question." Ibiki said. "You see, if you get it wrong, no one on your team will ever be able to take the Chunin Exams again."

"What!" A blonde girl in the second row asked. "I've never heard of a rule like that before."

"You're just unlucky. You got me as your proctor." Ibiki smirked.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata saw Naruto put up his feet on the desk. He put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes.

xxxx

The window blew open and a long banner was pinned against the wall.

"I'm your second proctor, Mitarashi Anko!" The woman stopped in shock, staring. "What the hell? There are this many left, Ibiki? You must be losing your touch!"

"There was a huge crowd this year." Ibiki said defensively. "A promising one, too."

"Hmph. Time to break it at least in half!" Anko said. "Follow me, my little maggots!"

xxxx

"I hope this test is a little better." Shikamaru mumbled.

Their proctor for the second exam was doing some sort of intimidation routine, trying to scare the crap out of all the assembled genin. Naruto yawned.

"That was so boring." Kiba whined. Akamaru covered his eyes with his paws in agreement.

"Serious waste of time." Naruto agreed, his voice carrying in the sudden quiet as the proctor paused.

In the blink of an eye, the proctor had drawn a kunai and sent it flying towards Naruto's cheek.

She was about to appear behind him, and lick the blood, like she usually did to terrify genin, but stopped in shock.

Naruto twirled the kunai around his finger. "Do you make a habit of randomly throwing kunai at people?" He asked lazily, doing his best Shikamaru impression.

Anko smirked. "Only at people who annoy me."

I like this one already. She thought with glee.

xxxx

Hinata followed behind Naruto and Sasuke, who were in turn following their Chunin proctor to the gate where they could enter the forest.

She couldn't wait till they met up with the others. Being alone with these two was nerve-wracking.

She never really did understand Sasuke. He was so intense all the time. And he had random mood swings that she could never predict; which made her very uncomfortable being alone with him.

Naruto, on the other hand, was extremely calming. Just being around him was relaxing, because he exuded an air of confidence and control.

Unfortunately, that didn't really help, because he was also the hottest thing since Fire Jutsu. She could barely even talk to him, because as soon as his eyes met hers her brain short-circuited.

"Good luck." The Chunin said, opening the gate, and stepping aside. He seemed surprised when they didn't immediately dash off, Naruto and Sasuke turning to face her, forming a triangle between them.

"So, what's first?" Sasuke asked.

"I think we should find Kiba first." Hinata said.

"Why?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I..." Hinata found herself meeting startling blue eyes, and any train of thought she might have had grinded to a halt. "I, um, forgot."

Naruto laughed softly, and Sasuke sniffed the air.

"I think I've got Kiba's scent." He said.

Naruto sniffed too. "Yeah, his group's close. And he's got the best nose, so he can help us find the other three, wherever they are. Good plan, Hinata."

Hinata was blushing the entire way to Kiba's group, who ended up meeting them halfway.

xxxx

"So." Naruto said, once they had all grouped together. "Shikamaru, you got a plan?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Shikamaru grinned.

xxxx

By the time the young woman realized she was there, Ino had already planted one of her feet firmly in the woman's throat. At high speed.

The woman dropped to her knees, eyes wide and throat muscles constricted with spasms as she struggled for air.

The young man flinched in surprise, but right before he moved he felt a great pull, and his arms were almost ripped out of their sockets as he was yanked backwards. He flew backwards, his head cracking against a tree. Dazed, he shook his head, and found himself completely ensnared in tiny, almost invisible, chakra wires.

The wires traveled from his body to the fingers of a young girl with pink hair, who smirked at him, holding up her clenched fist, causing him to gasp when the wires tightened painfully.

A blonde teenager slinked out of the trees, six others following soon after from different directions, surrounding them.

Dosu spat in disgust. "You."

The blonde held out his hand. "Your scroll. Toss it here, and we'll let you walk away."

Dosu glanced again at Kin, who Ino was holding up by her hair. Then at Zaku, hopelessly entangled, his hands pointing the wrong way to be of any use. He spat again.

"Very well. But you'll be seeing us again, brat, in the third round. And ninja spars are dangerous things...it's not uncommon for accidents to happen. You might end up wishing you'd killed me right here."

"I might." Naruto agreed amiably, catching the thrown scroll. His eyes, however, were stone cold, showing none of the agreement his words implied.

Fifteen Minutes Later

"I can't believe how easy that was." Sakura said.

"No wonder the Hokage didn't want us to become genin as soon as we met the Academy's standards. These guys are terrible." Ino agreed.

Naruto, Sakura, and Ino each held two scrolls in their hands.

"Okay, so now to find the tower." Naruto said. "Smell anything yet, Kiba?"

Akamaru barked.

"Well...it's pretty easy to get turned around in here...but I'm pretty sure we came in from that way, where the second proctor is hanging out." He said, pointing over his shoulders. "Which would make the tower that way." He said, pointing forwards. "And while I can't smell any old stone, or anything like that...I can smell one thing." He grinned. "Pipe tobacco. Which means..."

Naruto grinned. "Hokage-sama."

xxxx

Tayuya halted her team behind the bushes. She gritted her teeth as Jirobo rustled to a halt; the fatty was loud enough to alert half the forest to their presence.

In the clearing in front of them, their target and his team were confronting some actual rain genin. One of them was showing the Jinchuuriki his pretty tricks with his umbrella. Tayuya snorted softly.

Beside her, Jirobo shifted. "He's distracted. What are we waiting for?" He asked softly.

Tayuya clenched her teeth. "Sakon got killed because he was too fucking reckless. I won't make the same mistake...there's something fucked up with this mission." She whispered. "I'm in charge now; we're not leaving anything up to chance."

So they waited, and watched. Even Tayuya became impressed eventually, by the sheer amount of senbon the umbrellas guided towards the Sand Jinchuuriki. Gaara, however, was clearly not impressed. He stood there, his arms crossed, a muscle jumping in his jaw. After the rain of senbon finally stopped, his hands shot out, and they witnessed the brutal murder of the three rain genin, as the Sand Jinchuuriki soaked his sand with their blood.

The three sand genin left the clearing.

Jirobo shifted again. "Come on, let's get them! They're right there; no one will complain if we kill a lunatic like that. Kidomaru can kill him before he even knows we're there."

"They're right there." Tayuya mimicked. "You go ahead, then." She said, gesturing after the Sand team.

Jirobo clenched his jaw, but made no move.

"Weren't you watching, fatso? Physical attacks don't do shit to that guy." Tayuya said.

"What do we do, then?" Kidomaru asked.

"Fuck if I know. Get a scroll. After that..." She paused, then shrugged. "I'm working on it."

xxxx

Asuma opened the door, and crashed into a wall of noise.

The break room was, for lack of a better word, chaos. Only a few chunin at a time were required to monitor the cameras around the forest, so the rest of the chunin proctors were hanging out in the large break room, reclining on green couches and wooden chairs.

As he entered, the Chunin were laughing and talking excitedly, and he glimpsed money changing hands several times.

"Asuma-sensei!" One of the Chunin yelled. Asuma recognized him as a genin from his last team. They had passed the Chunin Exam, and then, for various reasons, the team had fallen apart and they had been separated.

All the Chunin turned to look at him expectantly.

"Is it true? All nine rookies finished in-?"

"56 minutes." Asuma confirmed.

Whoops and cheers filled the room, along with groans and laughs. Money changed hands a few more times.

"That's gotta be the fastest time in years, if not ever, right?"

"In all of the history of the Chunin exams, only one genin team has gotten through Training Ground #42 faster." Asuma confirmed, pausing for dramatic effect. "And that was-"

"The Sannin." The dark, quiet voice, came from a door on the right. They all turned to look, and saw the Hokage standing in the doorway, his pipe in his hand.

But his eyes were not celebrating; they were dark and foreboding.

xxxx

Orochimaru sat, his back straight in his wooden chair, gazing at the sweating council member opposite him to his left, around the circular table.

Transformed, under the guise of Orobi, he had kept his silky-black hair, currently held back in a loose ponytail. But his skin was tan, and his eyes brown, with a normal, circular pupil. His jaw was heavier, his eyebrows thicker. The black robes he was wearing had a deep cowl, which he kept down, a welcome weight on his back. The deep folds in the hood hid the summoning scroll placed inside.

Around to his right, Sasori sat patiently, lounging in his chair under the guise of Santabi. He was wearing long, flowing black robes, identical to Orochimaru's own. A shock of spiky red hair protruded from the shadows of his hood, and his green eyes gleamed from its depths. One lightly tanned arm rested over the back of his chair, his posture completely relaxed.

Ame had only one council. They were both the village council, and the leader's advisors. Originally, they had all belonged to Hanzo, and for that, they were being slowly replaced.

Hanzo had been so paranoid, he had left most of the duties that involved running the village in his council's hands. Including public ceremonies, to the point where he had slowly dissolved to just being the commander of their armed forces.

Hanzo had foolishly believed that staying alive and being in charge of the military were the only important things to a leader of a ninja village.

Orochimaru snorted just thinking about it. Across from him to his right, Batten, the craftsmen's representative, looked up. He was a single-minded man, who possessed a fierce determination, and, unfortunately, almost always sided with Cherret. He would make a good ally, and would be easily manipulated. It was a pity that he too had to die.

"I could use some amusement, Orobi." The large blacksmith said, his deep voice booming, as ever. He was a large, thick man, with a flowing black beard. He wore a sleeveless leather vest and brown breeches, which showed off his heavily muscled arms and thick, tree-trunk legs.

"I was just thinking that we are wasting our time." Orochimaru purred. "James is clearly not going to show. I imagine he's busy today."

James was one of Akatsuki's agents, a man who had risen quickly in the ranks, now commander of the ninja forces, his command second only to the leader's in a time of war.

"Why's that?" Cherret asked sharply. He was a little man, short and thin, with beady, sharp eyes and a sweaty face with short, greasy hair. He was also the Master of Ceremonies, the man technically in charge of the Council. His vote was worth 1.5 votes when only four members were present, but only one when all five were present.

Cherret was an ex-ninja, he had previously been a talentless genin or chunin, or something inconsequential. He was a sharp, suspicious man, and the last remaining real threat on the council. He had always been suspicious of Orochimaru's quick rise to council member. He didn't buy that the reason Orobi made such a good treasurer was that no one dared to try and cheat him.

"Best let our Black Ops commander explain." Said Orochimaru, nodding to Sasori.

Sasori dipped his black cowl. "Our rain genin have been, well, surprisingly successful." His calm manner and light voice were hilarious, to Orochimaru. Who knew Sasori was such an actor? In the Ame Black Ops, it was said that Santabi never lost that calm. He had run 13 different Kumo ninja through with his sword, one after the other, and afterwards, had calmly remarked to an officer about the nice weather.

"The Hokage has courteously sent an invitation to the leader of our village to attend the final round of the Chunin Exams." Santabi explained.

"And Our Leader cannot attend?" Cherret asked suspiciously.

"Can't, or just doesn't want to." Orochimaru answered.

The eyes of the other three slid to his, and Orochimaru cursed inwardly at the slip.

"Why would a Treasurer know what Our Leader wants?" Cherret inquired.

Orochimaru crushed the impulse to kill the little weasel right then and there. If he did, he'd have to kill Batten too, and they still needed him.

"It was merely an innocent suggestion." Orochimaru purred. Cherret had always been abnormally suspicious of him. He supposed his quick rise to council member deserved it.

"Regardless, the Treasurer is correct." Santabi said, his eyebrows raised just slightly. "Our Leader has informed me that he is unable to attend, and he wants one of you to take his place."

"One of us?" Cherret asked immediately, suspicious as always.

"As commander of black-ops that also makes me Master of Information." Santabi said lightly.

"Master of Spies, you mean." Batten said.

Santabi inclined his head slightly. "If you prefer. I will be going regardless; and sitting next to the Hokage hardly seems the best place to gather all the information I want."

Cherret studied him for a moment longer, then moved his gaze. "I suppose that's true. As Master of Ceremonies, I'll go, then."

"Actually, if you don't mind, I would prefer to go." Orochimaru said.

Cherret looked sharply at him. "What would a farm boy from the fields of Ame want with Konoha?"

"Perhaps he's merely worried that if you go, all your sweating will make the Hokage think you're up to something." Sasori said slyly.

Batten's laugh boomed out, filling the room. "He's got you there, Cherret."

Cherret scowled, shooting a glance at the hooded figure. "The question remains."

"Actually, I am a little worried for your safety." Orochimaru said sweetly. "You can always find another treasurer, but Konoha, and the road to it, are dangerous places. And we only have one Master of Ceremonies. I wouldn't know where to start; and I don't think Santabi or Batten would make good public speakers."

Batten's laughter boomed forth again. "You got that right, Treasurer." He said loudly. Orochimaru wondered if he'd already had a few drinks.

"I will remind you that I am a former ninja myself." Cherret said. "I'm much more able to protect myself than you are."

"Oh, of that I have no doubt." Orochimaru assured him. "But still...if you will not think of your own safety, think of your family. Who will protect them when you're gone?" He asked sweetly.

Cherret's eyes flashed. He leveled what he doubtless thought was an intimidating glare at Orochimaru. He let it hold for a few more seconds, then spoke.

"Let's vote." He said, through gritted teeth.

"I vote for the Treasurer." Santabi said calmly.

"I believe my vote is clear." Orochimaru said innocently.

Batten glanced pleadingly at Cherret, who was still glaring at Orochimaru. The smith frowned. "I vote Orobi, as well."

A muscle in Cherret's jaw jumped, but he did not look at the Smith. "Very well. Are there any more items on our agenda?"

Sasori and Batten both shrugged, and Orochimaru said "Not to my knowledge."

"Adjourned. Best of luck to you, Santabi."

The smith stood and frowned after the exiting man. Then he turned. "Good luck to you as well, Orobi. Good day to you both."

The smith exited the room, his heavy footfalls echoing around the chamber till he exited.

Orochimaru frowned after the retreating smith. "I never thought I'd say this about a civilian, but I actually like that man."

"If we end up having to kill him, I'll do it painlessly, in his sleep." Sasori promised, his voice seeping into its natural growl. "The weasel is a different story."

"Oh, yes." Orochimaru grinned. "The weasel's mine."

xxxx

A/N

God, it's good to be home. Sorry, I was gone on vacation, without access to a computer. And I forgot to tell you I was going. FORGIVE ME

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, there were several parts that were fun to write, hope you enjoyed them as much as me!

Tell me what you thought!