Konoha Council Chambers, Five minutes later

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi

As the scroll was passed around the Shinobi Clan Heads, and then the Department Heads and Chuunin Shimura when the Clan Heads had finished with their muted reactions of surprise, Sarutobi knew he shouldn't feel proud. Well, being proud of his unofficially adopted Grandson's achievements was allowed, but probably not when it came at the expense of an entire Spec Ops Division.

"You expect us to believe that a single Genin came up with and executed such an exercise with help from only a couple of Jounin? More likely he was used as a distraction and a way to infuriate the ANBU, whilst his 'helpers' did all the work." Hiashi still seemed determined to push the point about Naruto, but given one of the Jounin he was currently questioning the honour of was currently sat three seats from him, Sarutobi decided to let Inoichi speak up and defend himself.

"Perhaps if you left your ivory tower more than once a week for these meetings Hiashi-san, then you might have heard of some of Naruto's more recent exploits. Honestly though, I think Tora-san is already accommodating your wounded pride too much. We all know that this is really about your clan's failure to produce decent Genin candidates, and your stubborn disbelief that your 'failure' of an heiress scored higher than nearly all other Hyuuga Genin, rather than about young Naruto-kun and his work."

Inoichi was not who most people would consider to be vicious, but with an easy going Akimichi and a lazy Nara as teammates, someone had to 'crack the whip' as it were. Hiashi had obviously not gleaned the identity of the Jounin helping Naruto before making his comment, Tora's report probably hadn't mentioned any names, eyes widening in surprise slightly, even as a sneer made its way to his face.

"It is not like Hiashi-san is the only Clan Head whose members perform badly with these new tests. As all of our Clan jutsu are classified as 'Advanced', the extra training that many of our Clan members undertake in mastering our clan secrets is not shown proportionally on this list. Logically it makes sense of course, Genin are not meant to be specialised operatives, but well rounded for dealing with a variety of situations."

Shibi Aburame stepped into the breach before the barbs could be pulled any tighter between the two Clan Heads, though Sarutobi knew from experience that feuds like this would end up with raised voices at the least, once the participants were outside the Council Chamber's walls. Chuunin Shimura seemed to take the chance to move to less contentious ground, verbally at least, as she drew out another scroll and stood to offer it to Shibi.

"Exactly the reasoning we used when creating the Skills we wanted to test Aburame-san. As well as improving the key skills the Genin will need if they wish to pass the Chuunin Exams, this gives our Jounin Sensei a much clearer understanding of what training their Genin need. Each Jounin Sensei will receive one of these scrolls per student, which will include recommendations for what training to give directly, as well as which scrolls/techniques to recommend for self study."

It had been another of Chuunin Shimura's suggestions, and judging by the approving look that even Hiashi begrudgingly gave her as she held out the rather detailed scroll for them all to see, it was clear that her non-aggressive and logical manner was winning her allies amongst the Council.

"We know that a month isn't a lot of time, but we have confidence that at least a third of our Jounin will be able to teach their Genin enough to qualify their teams for the exams in that time, even if it will be borderline in a lot of cases. With another month of hard training after that testing, we should be able to enter at least 20 teams if they wish to apply. Of course, for future exams outside Konoha, we would implement more rigorous requirements…" The number was less than half of what had been expected before the overhaul of their teaching methods began, but perhaps they had all been ignoring the signs for some time.

Given the debacle of the last exams in Kusa, more stringent requirements had been something Sarutobi had insisted on. Only a single Konoha ninja made it through to the final fights, in which she was thoroughly outclassed by her Kumo opponent she was lucky not to have been crippled or worse.

"The Fire Daimyo has made it clear that he expects a much better showing for an exam on our home turf, even if we all know there is no real thing as a home field advantage. Still, if we cannot get at least one full team into the finals, the belief in the strength of our Ninja will drop even further. So, I expect all of you to instruct your Genin Clansmen to work hard over the coming month, and help them in the areas that the Jounin will advise them." Sarutobi paused in his instruction, making sure he caught Hiashi's eyes, to make it clear that he had the Hyuuga Clan Head's attention.

"Your nephew is currently preparing for a mission Hiashi-san, but I have instructed Maito-san and Hatake-san to take things slowly as they travel so that they can train. This doesn't apply to just him, before you accuse me of singling your clan out or some other such rubbish…" Sarutobi slammed his fist into the table in front of him, cutting Hiashi off as he opened his mouth to do just that, the renewed training he had been fitting into his schedule showing as the wood cracked from the impact.

"But I want you all to make it very clear to your clansmen and women. For too long I have been lenient, in reprimanding those who act out because they think their Clan status, as well as other stupidity that comes with being children. But given I was forced to nearly bankrupt a new Genin because of an event that started opening our eyes to this problem facing us, it has been highlighted to me that such discipline will be good for ALL of our military forces…"

Chuunin Shimura was already creating all the paperwork that would be needed to create a Chuunin Support and Training Team (CSATT), though given the specialisations that became more diverse at Chuunin level it would take significantly more time to fine tune it.

Sarutobi could worry about that later though, the Hyuuga Head's pale face at his threat reminded him of a similar face from earlier that morning, when he had a similar discussion with a young orphan with similar issues to young Neji...

Road to Nami, Three days later

Rookie of the Year Genin, Sasuke Uchiha

"Damn it, I will get you next time Teme!" Sasuke was surprised to find himself smirking, even as Naruto picked himself up from the floor, for what was probably the hundredth time on this trip so far.

Slipping into the primary defensive stance of the 'Rippling Pond' style that Team 9's rather uncouth sensei had taught him, Sasuke merely gestured with his hand whilst maintaining his confident smirk, knowing that it would wind Naruto up despite the boy's efforts to stay calm. Despite his seeming confidence though, Sasuke could feel the ache of his muscles as they had their 8th sparring match of the evening.

"That is enough, though pushing yourselves is most youthful, it is time for our beautiful Kunoichi to do some training. Naruto-san, follow me and I will show you some corrections that should help with your Taijutsu. Sasuke-san, if you could relieve Sakura-san of her duties, Lee-kun has already gone to free up Tenten-chan!" Whilst he would have preferred to respond with a simple noise of assent, especially as over an hour of on/off sparring had him working to control his breathing, Sasuke had learnt from experience that Gai wouldn't accept such 'unyouthful' social expressions.

"Hai Gai-sensei. Dobe, good match." Sasuke never thought he would say such a thing, even if Naruto had been a tenacious opponent in the Academy he had never been a challenge.

But with all the strength training he had been doing for wielding the Kubikiribucho, as well as the improvements in both his Academy Taijutsu and the new style Gai was teaching him, Naruto could now hit like a ox drawn wagon. The Blonde was still far too slow, but Sasuke was glad the new style he was being taught focussed more on dodging than blocking. When both Genin were restricted to Academy Taijutsu, the results were… painfully informative.

Sasuke was slightly frustrated that they couldn't have an unrestricted spar yet, but after the List had come out, Kakashi-sensei had become a lot more focussed on polishing their basic skills. Despite being the top scoring Genin of their year, and beating Neji Hyuuga who was last year's Top Rookie Graduate, Sasuke understood why even if he would have preferred to just focus on improving his combat abilities.

"Sakura-san, Gai-sensei wants you to go spar with Tenten-san, I will take over here." Sakura visibly perked up as she heard about the training, but given she was in the middle of skinning a deer Naruto of all people had caught for them, perhaps getting kicked around for 40 minutes was a preferable activity in her mind.

"Just finish off removing that bit of the hide Sakura-chan, if we remove it cleanly then we can sell it to someone in Nami for a little extra pocket money. Sasuke-kun can take over removing the insides whilst you clean up." The thought of gutting a beast, and removing all the innards whilst trying not to split anything open he shouldn't, was still a very new concept to Sasuke.

He knew it had been something that he had been expected to do as part of the testing at the GSATT department, admittedly with a rabbit rather than a deer, but he hadn't understood why it was important. That was until Kakashi told them not to pack any food for their trip to Nami, claiming it was a great chance for them to learn something. Though, considering how much preserved food cost in Konoha, it was already turning into a useful set of skills to have.

Officially, they were going to guard the official opening Ceremony of the bridge Tazuna-san had no doubt finished repairing, as well as collecting the increased cost of their original mission. But Sasuke could tell there was more involved than that. Kakashi wouldn't confirm it, but after almost 4 months under the man, Sasuke could tell when the man was being deliberately vague rather than just annoying for his own amusement.

"Can't believe Naruto doesn't have to do any of this…" Kakashi gave him one of his usual eye smiles, but seemed to understand he didn't need to clarify exactly why Naruto didn't need to do any further survival practice.

Even Gai had been surprised at the results, Naruto and Neji being set the task of collecting the day's food during the first day, the Hyuuga barely managing to catch a rabbit whilst keeping up with them. Naruto in comparison reached the camping area before them and set up a cooking fire, as well as catching half a dozen fish and four rabbits, preparing and having them cooking by the time the rest of them arrived.

Given Kakashi had restricted him to using no more than 2 Shadow Clones, as 100 Naruto's would have found the task far too easy, it had been eye opening that Naruto had left the two clones with them for Scouting duties. The only thing Naruto had been lacking in was botany knowledge, to pick up suitable berries and mushrooms to go with the meat he had gained, but in comparison to the skill gaps the rest of them had Sasuke was surprised Naruto looked so upset when Kakashi had mentioned it.

"Now Sasuke-kun, this will be similar to the rabbit I showed you all yesterday, just bigger and heavier. Luckily the arrow hit this one high in the chest, so I doubt there is any damage to the intestines for us to worry about. Now, grab a kunai and find the base of the ribcage…"

Naruto had even hunted the deer he was currently stood over, the Dobe taking it down with a single arrow after Lee accidentally spooked it on his approach, the bows accuracy at ranges beyond kunai range impressive enough that Sasuke asked the former class clown of all people to teach him.

Whilst not a traditional Ninja weapon, Sasuke knew that the Uchiha Clan had members who had been famous for their bow or other ranged weapon abilities, especially when combined with their Sharingan's predictive abilities. Naruto had leant him his original bow to practice with, the one he picked up whilst rescuing Sakura, and whilst he wasn't a great shot yet Sasuke could already match Naruto's accuracy if given time to aim.

Sasuke also had the sneaking suspicion that one of the potential things they could be marked on for the List was a ranged weapon as well as melee weapons. As that was one of the areas Naruto and Tenten were ahead of him on, Sasuke wanted to keep his vaunted position of Top Rookie in their year from the Dobe of all people. The fact that it would help him get a Chuunin promotion, moving him one step closer to matching his brother and getting his revenge, was just a side benefit right now.

Fighting against the Demon Brothers and Haku had opened Sasuke's eyes to the fact that he couldn't assume that his natural abilities would be enough to defeat Itachi, especially as Naruto's unconventional techniques were the main reason they survived. So if he had to learn off his classmates to gain the edge he needed, Sasuke would suffer the indignity in a heartbeat.

"Now, cut stomach muscles carefully back to the anus, and then you can have a go at opening up the ribcage…" Remembering the smell from yesterday, when Sakura accidentally cut open a rabbit's intestines, Sasuke decided to spend some extra effort in making sure he didn't make the same mistake here.

It would be bad enough that his arms would be covered in gore when he was done, he could do without smelling like shit as well. As his kunai cut through the buck's flesh, Sasuke decided to try and distract himself from the feeling.

"Kakashi-sensei, what would I need to do to learn the Shadow Clone jutsu Naruto knows? Given how much he uses it to help the team, surely I can learn to use it as well." Admittedly if Sasuke wanted to, he could try and copy the Ninjutsu using his Sharingan, but most of the time now Naruto could summon half a dozen clones without hand seals and just saying the jutsu.

Such a level of instinctive mastery would be brilliantly useful for their team on the battlefield, but it also would make copying the jutsu harder for him to do effectively. Besides, Naruto would throw a tantrum if he found out Sasuke had copied his favourite jutsu without his permission, and whilst Sasuke was learning from him he wanted to keep a good relationship between the two of them.

"You've seen how much Chakra he has Sasuke-kun, if it was literally anyone else then they would pass out from chakra exhaustion if they tried to do half of the stuff Naruto-kun does. We will build your chakra capacity using some jutsu exercises, build your physical stamina some more, then I might ask Hokage-sama for permission to teach it to you. I plan on teaching you all some other clone jutsu anyway, and those will have a far cheaper chakra cost than the Shadow Clone…" Not a no, which was better than the first time Sasuke had asked Kakashi, and Sasuke guessed it was because of how he asked.

Kakashi had spent a lot of time working with their team about teamwork, and after seeing what they could do when working together against Zabuza and the other Mizu Missing-ninja, Sasuke could see the benefits of having a team when he eventually chased down Itachi.

He hadn't asked them, that would require him explaining what had happened that night, and he wasn't ready for that. But he wouldn't be ready for a couple of years yet, so he could wait a little longer before gaining allies for achieving his revenge…

!"£$%^&*()_+

Hidden Mountain Camp, Roughly the same time

'Ronin', ? ?

Ronin liked to think he ran an efficient operation, and the fact that he had operated under Konoha's nose for years was a sign that was indeed the case.

"Ronin-sama?" But, as he looked through the reports from his operations from the last month, Ronin knew that something had to change if they were to survive.

"Three teams wiped out, another two suffering major casualties due to encountering Konoha Shinobi. Only four successful raids, and even then we have had to move bases afterwards to avoid Konoha's suspicions. Masori's capture makes things very difficult for us to keep this up going forward." That was an understatement, the fat Judge's downfall had been far worse than Gato's death, at least in terms of control Ronin had over the situation.

They had lost knowledge of caravan schedules, as well as the timing and routes of Konoha Shinobi patrols, along with an easy way of transporting the 'merchandise' afterwards.

"Which I imagine is why you asked to see me personally Ronin-kun…" Every bandit in their camp grabbed their weapons, as much use such weapons would be against a Sannin, Orochimaru appearing out of the ground across the table from him.

The Snake Sannin always maintained a cheery, casual nature during the few times they had personally interacted, but Ronin could easily see the madness that lurked in those yellow eyes of his. Given this was not going to be a positive meeting, Ronin decided to save himself some men in case Orochimaru lost his temper.

"Leave us! Go hunting or scavenging." Not one of his men said anything as they followed his order, they were his best men after all, and they understood that this was a meeting far above their level.

"Oh dear, this must be very bad news indeed, you aren't planning on terminating our little arrangement I hope…" It was a leading question, and a dangerous one as well.

For all his 'airs and graces', Orochimaru was at best temperamental and at worst volatile to the extreme, with the skills to put them all into the ground without breaking a sweat. It was why Ronin had always made sure that the Snake Sannin received his 'merchandise' over Gato and his other buyers, even if the Billionaire had offered more money per worker.

"Not terminate, but with Konoha heightening their security measures, my men and I will probably go to ground for the next few months. If I were to sustain these losses again, I wouldn't be able to carry out 'extraction' methods anyway." Ronin expected Orochimaru to get mad, or at least irritated, but to his surprise the Sannin looked intrigued rather than anything else.

"Oh, I assume this is something to do with this Masori you were talking about? I highly doubt that this is because of my agent's efforts to silence your 'problem'. The person I used is most thorough…" Ronin noted the deliberate use of genderless words when Orochimaru described the person he had offered to silence Takota for him, but the identity of Orochimaru's spy in Konoha didn't bother him in the slightest.

"In part, but it is also down to bad luck and a rather pesky Konoha Genin that has managed to be in the wrong place at the right time more than once. I would suspect something more than coincidence, but if Konoha knew enough to realise what was actually going on then they would be shutting down even more of my operations then they are right now…"

"Well, if you are going to be putting your services on hold for a few months, I guess I understand the need. However, I did have a couple of final requests, which I would be more than happy to pay extra for. Given my requirements though, I imagine it will require you to get involved more... personally than you usually do." Ronin was tempted to say no, if he was expected to get involved then Orochimaru wanted more than civilians, and kidnapping ninja was exactly the sort of thing that attracted attention he definitely didn't want right now.

But at the same time, extra money would be useful for replacing his losses, and perhaps even some better equipment for when they moved out of Fire Country.

"I'm listening Orochimaru-san…"

[]{}#%^*+=_\|~

Root Base A3, Later that evening

Danzo Shimura, Council Member and 'retired' head of Konoha Root Program

"Agent 371, I am glad to see you are adapting quite well to your new role." As his god daughter stood in front of him, Danzo knew that he should be far less proud than he was.

Objectively the Council meeting, as well as her actions in relation to the whole Masori incident, ignored so much of his ROOT training protocols that he had feared she had become completely compromised. But perhaps that was why she had been appointed this role by Hiruzen, no normal ROOT agent would have done such a reckless thing after all, and Sarutobi saw the role as a way to 'save her' from his potential indoctrination.

"Of course Danzo-sama, I live to serve the great tree." And whilst her time with the Uzumaki and his clone had clearly broken through her emotional training, as she smiled in his direction in a genuine manner that almost made him respond in kind, such an association had more than paid for such an unfortunate fate of one of his best operatives.

That 371 had been able to warn him about Masori being discovered, and the fact that Sarutobi was going to come down hard on village internal security as a result, had been a Kami sent gift. As a result only two of his operatives had been questioned regarding their actions, whereas without that warning it could have been at least a third of his operations compromised.

If that wasn't enough, her target had not only exposed a major security risk in Konoha itself, but managed to deal with it in an effective if somewhat foolish manner. Danzo had even had the opportunity to meet Uzumaki in an official manner as part of the fall out, and whilst the brat was far too idealistic for his own good, he had at least seemed open to listening to advice.

"You have the true results of the ROOT agents testing from the Genin evaluations?" Without another word, a set of scrolls were placed carefully on his desk.

Nami was obviously using the Uzumaki's talent for seals to her own advantage, as the scrolls had appeared from her glove's palm, and Danzo knew 371 was terrible with making seals herself.

Danzo took a minute, perusing through the documents, and finding it mostly as he expected. If the results had been truthful, then his Genin would have dominated the top of the List. As it was, the only Genin team that had stood out enough for comment in the Council meeting had been Kabuto's team, who weren't under his purview anymore regardless.

"Well done 371, I have instructed our Chuunin operatives to expect similar series of tests in the near future. Do we know when the testing is likely to commence?" Danzo guessed it wouldn't be until after the Chuunin exams, there was already too much to do in the time before the foreign teams would begin arriving, even if that would delay the chance to promote improvements.

"I already have the testing material together for your perusal Danzo-sama, but Hokage-sama wishes to test it on a small cadre of select Chuunin first. Once the testing has been ratified with this group, then the rest of the Chuunin will be tested in batches after the Chuunin exams." Interesting, both what he expected but also an interesting proposal from Hiruzen tacked onto the beginning.

"This cadre of Chuunin that he wishes to be tested first, do you know any details?" It was a good plan, depending on which Chuunin were selected Hiruzen could get quite a good understanding of the skill range of Konoha's forces, without needing to expend the time, money and effort that would be involved in testing them all.

"I know I am to be the first tested, but I do not know any others. I, I have a request Danzo-sama." The uncertainty in Nami's tone made Danzo narrow his gaze in her direction, but given the good work she had been doing he nodded, he would let her indiscretion pass this time.

"Go on 371." Nami was obviously surprised he had given her a chance to speak, as it took a moment before she spoke up.

"I wish to train my target against the Chuunin Skill requirements on this scroll Danzo-sama…" A larger scroll appeared and she handed it over, Danzo opening it to peruse its contents whilst he considered his answer.

To be considered eligible for Jounin Exam pre-selection:

Minimum score of 120 out of 150 for Core Skills (80%)

Minimum score of 270 out of 450 Overall Skills (60%)

To avoid being placed on probationary status (Must have been Chuunin for at least 6 months):

Minimum score of 83 out of 150 for Core Skills (55%)

Minimum score of 180 out of 450 Overall Skills (40%)

Name: ? out of 350

Core (? out of 150):

Taijutsu Style 1 (Not Academy Style):

Taijutsu Style 2 (Not Academy Style):

Combat Type Ninjutsu (At least 5 B- Rank Jutsu, 20+ C-Rank Jutsu):

Survival type Ninjutsu (List to be determined):

Kunai Skills:

Shuriken Skills:

Small Unit Tactics:

Genjutsu awareness and Cancellation:

Chakra efficiency/capacity:

Ciphers and Signals (Konoha):

Sign Language (Konoha):

Utility type Ninjutsu (Summoning…):

Budgeting and Home Economics (Ninja):

Advanced Ninja Theory:

Weapon Style 1:

Supplementary Skills, out of 15 (? out of 300):

Taijutsu Style 3 (Not Academy):

Taijutsu Style 4 (Not Academy):

Weapon Style 2 ():

Weapon Style 3 ():

Ranged Weapon ():

Combat Genjutsu:

Survival Genjutsu:

Utility Genjutsu:

Infiltration:

Medical Jutsu:

Explosives:

Advanced Evasion Skills:

Seals:

Barrier type Ninjutsu:

Advanced Jutsu ():

Leadership:

Strategy:

Disguise:

Sign Language (Other):

Ciphers and Signals (Other):

"It is… interesting, certainly more balanced than the current focus on flashy and overly exhausting jutsu over everything else. I cannot see why you want to train Uzumaki in this material, from what I understand you have given information to Hatake-san for training purposes…" Danzo wasn't against Nami teaching Naruto, as such a relationship could eventually lead to something… more developing between the two of them, which would give him a powerful link to the Kyuubi container.

That, and a well trained and balanced container was a very dangerous tool for Konoha to use to protect itself with, which was always a positive point if the container remained loyal. But Danzo wanted to see what reasons Nami had for the request, as he doubted she was thinking quite so strategically, and it would be a good measure of how much her emotions were clouding her judgement.

"He was able to control a battlefield against at least one Jounin and two Chuunin opponents with barely any structured training, not to mention embarrassing the entire ANBU Division with his team with one more jutsu. The effect this has had on improving the standards of Konoha's standing forces are already evident and will only snowball from there. I predict that, with sufficient guidance and a guide on what to focus his training on, Genin Uzumaki would be tested as 'Jounin exam ready' in less than a year." That was quite the bold claim, but it was one that Danzo could agree with.

Given this had all started with a completely impossible plan to obtain a fake girlfriend, the stupidity of children everywhere seemed impossible to truly comprehend, Danzo could see the ripple effect that plan was having already. Now it was just a case of damming the pond to control the direction the ripples went...

"Very well, when Uzumaki returns, you may make the offer of training. I am sure that Hatake-san won't complain at the additional help. Make sure that Hiruzen is aware of your plan, to turn the boy into the star of your little program. I am sure he will be happy to help you show Hiashi-san up for his comments about your 'target'." Nami hadn't mentioned it in her reasoning, but Danzo had remembered the incident in the Council chambers, and her slight blush showed he had been close enough to the mark with his comment.

"You are dismissed." He cut off any attempt she might have to deny her attachment to the young Genin, though he would probably speak to her in his capacity as Godfather later about it.

But for now, he sat back and looked at the scrolls in front of him, ignoring the bow and hasty departure of his agent. Continuing on from the reasoning his agent had given him, Danzo spent a moment looking back on Uzumaki's actions over the last few months.

Without the plan, Uzumaki's clone wouldn't have been caught in the bandit attack, which lead to Uzumaki investigating given his naive belief that he could save everyone, and also made Hiruzen punish the boy for his distraction. Then Uzumaki wouldn't have been suspicious of a traitor in Konoha's ranks, which was only supported by the death of the bandit leader prior to questioning.

Danzo had an idea about who the person was that had silenced the bandit leader, but he wasn't going to piss Orochimaru off by revealing his favoured agent in Konoha. Hopefully, the subtle hints he had been giving Nami to reveal as part of her official role would bear fruit and do it for him. Whilst he had taken advantage of Orochimaru's genius for many years, Danzo was more than aware that the Snake Sannin would backstab him at the first opportunity, and given Orochimaru's desire to destroy Konoha they were bound to come to a disagreement sooner or later.

And given how much recent events had completely surprised Danzo, even if he had made sure not to let others know it, he couldn't afford to keep so many unknown elements out on the field. Hence his support of Uzumaki and his actions.

The boy seemed to have a knack for finding and causing trouble with the village's internal and external security, and if he carried on the way he had been with Nami's guidance, there was no telling how many more worms he would unearth...

A/N: First off the little introductions to each Scene break, the introduction of place, time and person in bold, comes on the back of several people reviewing. They say that the jumps are a little jarring, and that sometimes the context is a little hard to get at first.

People also kept asking if Sasuke was going to get more than a bit-piece bashing role in this fic, and it was quite nice to do that little section from his point of view to get a different view on things. What do people think? I tried to avoid 'Sasdouche' as he often becomes in Naruto focussed fics, and I might have gone too far the other way.

Still, I wanted to show some of the stuff in this chapter, which are classed as the Skills in the Genin testing. Being able to catch, track and cook your own food in the wild seems like a pretty useful skill for mercenaries to have, especially if they want to save some money.

Also, as people asked, Naruto scored a 10 in evasion whilst being bad at dodging for a reason. Evasion isn't dodging in the sense of avoiding kunai or shuriken, nor is the ability to avoid blocking in close combat.

Instead, it is the ability to escape and evade a chasing opponent/s and escaping, which is a VERY useful skill for GENIN to pick up. That such a test very much plays into Naruto's hands (Shadow Clone makes it pretty much impossible for the pursuer and hidden mist jutsu is merely the cherry on the cake), is merely coincidence… XD

Nami-chan love! It is a wonderful thing to write this sort of story, as it allows me to develop things from the very beginning, both strategically and romantically… I'm not saying that Nami is in, nor am I saying she is out, as at this point she has no idea what the feelings she has even are…

The Chuunin Testing Criteria is probably going to change, when I give it some more thought, but for now it gives a decent breadth to the additional specialities that Chuunin can and should pick up. That is the reason why the scoring requirement is lower, as this allows for specialisation without risking damaging the careers of people like Tsunade (who as far as I am aware would rather struggle under this new system).

Big thanks to Treant Balewood, Eirik, Thomas Smith and Druid, for being supporters of my work. I'm still getting goosebumps when I write stuff like that. :P And if anyone wants to become a Fanling of mine (see previous chapter and/or search 'Defiasstone2' on Google), I would be hugely grateful.

Anyway, let me know what you think boys and girls!

Defias Out!