13

I hate debriefs.

"Would you be able to Henge into an image of this man?" the interrogator asked. It was standard procedure for shinobi being debriefed to transform into any and all shinobi they encountered. It made putting faces to names and techniques that much easier.

Naruto shook his head in the negative. Henge required the user to have a clear picture of the person of interest in mind. Aside from the few details that he had already listed, Naruto couldn't get a clear picture of the man in his mind. The majority of the confrontation was shrouded in a haze of heat and redness, courtesy of the Kyuubi.

"Pale complexion; yellow eyes; long tongue…" here Naruto paused, shaking his head, having been forcibly reminded just how creepy the last bit was. There was no other word for it.

"Go on," the woman urged, sounding neither patient nor impatient. Merely bored; uninterested. Naruto wished he could be the same.

He ran steady fingers through his hair, long since free of the grime of the latest mission, and composed himself again. "Right; so, long tongue; average height probably; dark hair, it was long…" he trailed off once more, searching his memory for more details to describe the still mysterious jonin with.

"Can you remember anything more of the shinobi's appearance, genin Uzumaki?" the woman prodded. The blonde's eyes moved from their resting place at his feet to the face of his interrogator. She was a plain woman, utterly unremarkable save for ice blue eyes that peered into him with every question.

Career genin, he mused absently, noting the lack of a flak vest. Probably. He shook his head in answer. "No."

"And were there any other distinguishing marks or mannerisms?" The nameless kunoichi moved from one area of question to another seamlessly, making Naruto start, focused as he still was on the man's appearance.

"Talked like a woman," Naruto said before he could stop himself. He winced sheepishly as the first emotion his interrogator showed manifested itself in a glare. "Sorry. He had a feminine voice, liked to whisper, even hissed a bit. Laughed a lot, cackled. Didn't take any of us seriously," the blond finished. Almost rightfully so, he thought, remembering how easily the man had dismantled Kurenai. He couldn't help the feeling of vindication that surfaced at having thrown the smug jonin into a building shortly after. He was well aware that the only reason he had been able to do so was because the man had almost certainly not been expecting a jinchurriki to manifest at the time.

Although… The man had known his name, had know all of their names, upon reflection. His teammates were brushed aside easily enough, as any truly experienced jonin would be able to identify all of Konoha's major clans at a glance, but surely his name was classified, or at least not easily come by. He was an orphan, for one, and Naruto had little doubt that any record of his parentage had been struck immediately following his sealing.

He supposed that it wasn't unreasonable for a jonin of another village to know of him – he doubted there was a shinobi village on the continent that didn't have a file on him, given his status – but the man had seemed delighted at his presence. Like he knew exactly who he was, what he carried, and something beyond.

Troubled, Naruto chanced a look at the room's third occupant. The Sandaime sat behind his desk, hat off, pipe in hand, as stone faced as he had been the night that Naruto had learned of the Kyuubi. He was troubled, that much was obvious to Naruto. The knowledge of it was doing little to soothe the boy's nerves, already put on edge due to his reflections.

"Did the shinobi use any ninjutsu, or any techniques that would, in your estimation, require the molding of chakra?"

Naruto blinked at the question. The confrontation had been short, despite what it may have felt like at the time, no longer than a minute or maybe two at the most. It had largely been taken up by the man's speaking. The actual combat had lasted for no more than a few seconds.

"His killing intent," Naruto began, "It was connected to some form of genjutsu. I can't speak for my teammates, but when it happened I saw a vision of myself being impaled with kunai and shuriken. Other than that, he had some way of…manipulating his body."

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed the Sandaime had set down his pipe. Aged hands were folded on top of the desk, fingers interlaced, and the old man's eyes were narrowed just ever so slightly.

"Manipulating in what way, Uzumaki?" the woman asked.

Getting there, Naruto thought with impatience. Outwardly, he showed nothing. "He was able to move weirdly. He could bend at least ninety degrees backwards and could just…" the blond searched for the right word, "twist out of the way of things. It was…unnatural." He hesitated to use the word unnatural, as by their very nature shinobi did very unnatural things, but it was the only way Naruto felt he could properly convey what had happened. No normal man, no normal shinobi should have been able to avoid his attacks like that.

"I see," the unremarkable woman said, paging through the notes she had been taking since the start of the debrief. Naruto shifted in his chair idly. No, you don't, he thought. "And I suppose that brings us to the final segment of your mission, unless you have something more to add?" The icy eyes locked on him.

Naruto shook his head simply. He wanted to get this over with and get the hell out of the Hokage's office, though he suspected he would likely be here for some time. Debriefs were never held in the presence of the Hokage unless the Hokage himself was doing the debriefing, and that only happened when truly classified information was being discussed. And this had been no S-ranked mission, regardless of the clusterfuck it had become.

Though I suppose I've always sort of been an exception to the rule. All the rules. Naruto had known that he was special from a young age, he just hadn't known how or why. The thought that something set him apart had been a small point of pride for the young boy, and had led to many of his more arrogant presumptions. Now, it merely hung over him. Just another thing that made his life just that little bit more difficult.

"That leaves us with the final part of the mission, I suppose. Your after-action report spoke of you being ambushed by-" she leafed through her notes, "-twelve shinobi, and that you dealt with it solely while your team moved on ahead?" Her tone was just as dispassionate as it had been at the start of the interview, making Naruto wonder at just what kind of debriefs this woman handled. She didn't bat an eye at the thought of a genin killing twelve shinobi without help.

Or maybe it was just because it was him. It was out of his mind as soon as the thought occurred.

He didn't miss a beat, regardless. "It was an attack, not an ambush. They had followed us, and Hyuuga Hinata's Byakugan alerted us to their presence well before any attacks were made," he said formally. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to correct the woman; it wasn't as if the difference mattered in the slightest.

"And why was it that you dealt with the group personally, rather than with the help of your comrades?" She seemed legitimately interested in this question, if the slight straightening of her posture was any indication.

'Cause they prolly would've ended up dead before I could have done anything. The thought came unbidden. There was no real way of knowing how things would have turned out had Team Eight gotten involved in the fight, and Naruto was more than willing to have it that way. He had made the executive decision in the heat of the moment, and it had turned out okay in the end.

"One of my ninjutsu better allows me to deal with multiple threats than my comrades. I was also fresher, more alert, and my teammates had to be concerned with getting their sensei to safety." He ran a hand through his hair once more, eyes flickering about the room. The Sandaime had leaned back now, fingers steeped and a look of interest in his old eyes. "Directly engaging the enemy would have put Yuhi Kurenai in danger. I decided, as de facto team leader, to deal with the shinobi on my own, so that Team Eight could get a head start and hopefully get themselves and their sensei to safety in case I failed."

The thought of why a genin, not even six months out of the Academy, would have the confidence and, in theory, the self sacrifice to attempt to fight twelve men hung heavily. Naruto knew quite well that the answer was plain to all of the rooms' occupants.

Ice blue eyes shifted in discomfort, glancing at the Hokage. The apparently found what they were looking for, as the woman began anew: "Yes, yes. And you dealt with them in what way?"

"I killed them."

It must have been the utterly bland way in which he said it, for it couldn't have been the words, because the interrogator stopped short. Her blue eyes widened as they rose to meet Naruto's and stayed there for what felt like a minute, but was, in reality, only a few seconds.

Blond eyebrows slowly moved upwards, silently asking the woman opposite, "What else would you have me do?"

She got the message, if the slightly flustered look that crossed her face was any indication. Her eyes turned downward; back to her clipboard so quickly that Naruto was surprised she hadn't hurt herself in the process.

"Yes…yes…" she trailed off.

Sarutobi came to her rescue. "I think that will be enough. The rest of the mission specifics have already been covered by the rest of the debriefs and after-action reports. I'll be able to handle the rest of this session, Mei-san. If you'll leave your notes with me?"

The dismissal was clear, and the woman – Mei – rose quickly. She deposited her notes on the Hokage's desk and was out the door a moment later after a short bow, a quickly muttered "Hokage-sama" left in her wake.

Silence filled the oval office as Naruto took the opportunity to move to his customary chair, the rightmost of the two laid out in front of the Sandaime's desk. A sigh of satisfaction escaped his lips as he sunk into the chair. The old man kept the two most comfortable chairs in the whole village in his office, in Naruto's opinion. There was just the right amount of firmness, enough to give support while not sacrificing the cushion.

Naruto always sat in the rightmost chair, no matter what. He knew that chair better than he knew the single chair in his apartment. It had gotten to the point a few years back that the old man had tried to trick him…

"Why don't you just sit in the other chair, Naruto-kun?" the Sandaime asked amusedly as he watched the demon container move the twin armchairs back to their usual positions.

"Better view, old man," the nine year old said simply, as if that was all the answer that could possibly be required.

Finally finished, the blond plopped down in his proper chair with his arms crossed and an expression of the purest satisfaction upon his whiskered face, daring the Hokage to make a case against him.

Perplexed, Sarutobi turned to stare out of his window, something he did everyday without fail. Upon spying his view of the village, the Hokage realized that, were he sitting in the leftmost chair, he wouldn't be able to see the face of the Yondaime upon the Hokage monument. The window ended just after his own face from that vantage point in the room, whereas the view of the monument from the rightmost chair was unimpeded.

"Well…"A soft smile graced the old man's lips as he beheld the sight, before turning back to his guest. "I suppose you're right."

He had no desire to see the face of his father, knowing now what the man had done to him, but he kept his seat for familiarity's sake. He had been in the Hokage's office so many times, in the chair so many times, that the thought of doing something different here and now was downright distasteful. Throughout all the twists, turns, and changes of his life, the Hokage's office remained the same. Naruto took some small comfort in that.

Fond remembrances faded, and Naruto was left in the silence that had hovered in the Sandaime's office since the woman – Mei, he reminded himself – had left. It wasn't heavy, or truly awkward. But it was far from the more companionable silences he had shared with Sarutobi as a child, when his much used mouth had finally stopped moving a mile a minute and he had come up for air.

"Though I'm sure it is the last thing you wish to hear, I must ask: do you remember anything else of note from your confrontation, Naruto-kun?" the Hokage questioned. "Anything you might wish to tell me?"

The troubling thoughts of how the jonin had known his name returned, and he brought his eyes to the Hokage's. "He addressed Team Eight by their clan names, but he seemed to know me…personally." The blond shrugged, mostly to avoid a shiver that was making its way up his spine. "He seemed…happy that I was there, for some reason."

"Indeed?" It wasn't really a question. The Sandaime quickly jotted the information down before leaning back in his chair. A weary look passed over the old man's face for a single, suspended second, before it was erased. Blue eyes narrowed as Naruto saw the reaction. Just who was this guy? he wondered.

Out of nowhere, the Hokage made a single hand seal. The look of concentration that had rested on his aged face faded to a sly smile, prompting a raised set of eyebrows from Naruto. The blond opened his mouth in question, but was halted when the Sandaime raised a hand for his continued silence.

"If you'll give me a moment, Naruto," he said, and the double doors to the oval office swung open not a second after.

A dog-masked ANBU strode in with purpose, a platter with two steaming hot containers of Ichiraku ramen take-out in his hands. A second followed, a cooler filled with ice and chilled bottles of lemon tea in hand.

Naruto's mouth dropped open.

"Dismissed," Sarutobi said simply. The two ANBU took their cue, retreating to the door and exiting, leaving twin calls of "Hokage-sama" behind.

Sarutobi was entirely unfazed at having been delivered lunch by ANBU Black Ops members, and leaned back in his chair with a sigh of satisfaction. The chopsticks broke with a snap, and one steaming container was pulled over and opened with relish. The old man finished his first two bites before raising twinkling eyes to meet the still shocked blues of Naruto.

"I can assure you that this is, in fact, real, and not an elaborate genjutsu, Naruto-kun. I suggest you close your mouth before you begin to catch flies, and help an old man out in finishing this lunch. It would be a shame for such a well prepared meal to go to waste," the Hokage stated wryly, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Naruto couldn't help it; he burst out laughing, shattering the formerly tense atmosphere.

"Lunch served personally by ANBU, that's a reason to become Hokage," he said.

"And what ever happened to gaining the acknowledgement of the villagers, protecting them as is your sworn duty?" the Sandaime quipped, an eyebrow quirked.

"Meaningless." Naruto waved away the statement dismissively as he snapped open and chugged a bottle of chilled tea. "Now, getting lunch served to you by ANBU agents, that's real motivation right there." An index finger shook in articulation of the boy's point as he reached to the tray to remove one of the steaming boxes of ramen.

"I'm glad you approve," the Hokage stated, sarcasm evident.

You should be, Naruto thought cheekily. Years previous, or perhaps maybe even months previous –before Asuma's death – he would have even said it. Now, he stayed silent, content to slurp his lunch and wait patiently for the Sandaime to arrive at the gist of this meeting.

Sarutobi, for his part, didn't bother mincing words. "Your actions during the mission were impressive. Regardless of the tools at you, ah, disposal, leading a team of genin through hostile territory is no mean feat."

Naruto shrugged, electing to keep silent still. He had never gotten used to any of the praise that Asuma had ever heaped on him, regardless of the fact that he had sought it at every turn. The same applied here.

His continued silence drew an undignified snort from the Hokage, in turn drawing a grin from Naruto.

"Come now, Naruto-kun. You were many things as a child, but quiet and modest?" The Sandaime laughed lightly, genuinely. "I think not, and none of ever truly grow so far from what we were as children; at least not at our very core."

The blond sighed. "I did what I thought was necessary to get everyone back alive." He was sick of talking about the mission as a whole. From Yamato, to the ANBU who had met him and Team Eight that the border, to his own teammates, and finally to the debrief and now the Hokage, he had told and retold the ordeal far too many times. He had no problem doing so once more – he had done what had been necessary and had no regrets – but preferred not to.

To think, he had once wished more than anything in the world to be acknowledged, to have people come up to him and ask him to tell them stories of missions past, legendary exploits; for surely a Hokage would have many stories. He shook his head; it was so tiresome.

Thankfully, the Sandaime seemed to have no desire to hear of Naruto's tale, whether because of a similar mindset or because he had already heard it numerous times, and accepted Naruto's statement without ceremony. "As would any in your position, I would like to think," said Sarutobi. "But I doubt that many, if any, your age or rank, could actually follow through. Keeping a clear head in the field is no easy feat, even for shinobi far more experienced than you."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi nodded absently, refilling his pipe and lighting it now that he had finished his food. Naruto continued to slurp away despite the more serious turn the meeting had taken. He was hungry, and the old man didn't mind. He felt more than saw the Hokage stand and make his way to the window, the cloth of the traditional robes rustling as the old man moved. Naruto knew without having to look that the Sandaime was surveying his village.

"Truly, having managed to pull your team from the ashes of near defeat is no mean accomplishment; especially as it has happened not once, but twice."

Naruto fidgeted. Unused to praise as he was, having the Hokage, of all people, glorify his achievements was uncomfortable. He didn't know how to respond.

"It is something worthy of note, and something worthy of recognition, Naruto-kun." Here, the Sandaime turned to face the blond briefly, locking eyes. Solid grey bored into Naruto's blue, taking their measure. The blond felt the need to shift and fidget, but managed to hold still through force of will. He couldn't help but feel as if the Sandaime could see right through him, dissect him with a thought and leave him bare of all of his secrets. It was a similar feeling to the one he got when he spoke with the Kyuubi.

He was nothing before this legend of a man, and he knew it well.

"It is something…worthy of reward," Sarutobi finished. The appraising look faded, replaced with something akin to pride as the man's lips curved upwards into a sort of half-smile.

"…Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked. He straightened unconsciously. Could he possibly mean…

A prideful smile spread across the Hokage's face as he looked down at the boy who had been a sort of surrogate grandson in his youth. To rise above the hatred of the villagers and become a skilled shinobi was something worth commending, and Naruto was well on his way to becoming exceptional. He already was in some ways.

"You've shown leadership abilities above and beyond what can reasonably be expected of a genin; any genin, not just one your age. I would be loathe to let such qualities go unrecognized – or unpunished, as it may turn out to be," the Sandaime stated with humor. "Responsibility is the price of competence, you'll find, Naruto-kun, and the rank of chunin isn't one handed out without just cause."

Naruto would have been ashamed to acknowledge that his eyes widened almost comically at the Hokage's declaration, his mouth dropping open in surprise. He couldn't help it, however.

Here, though, Sarutobi sighed, and Naruto felt an odd mix of emotions take hold. Beyond all the pride, the satisfaction and vindication, there was trepidation. Did he really want to become a chunin right now? The answer was a resounding yes, as the promotion would undoubtedly open doors for him to train and grow. And yet, he was hesitant to leave his team behind. While it was true that many teams remained together, it was still very possible that he would be shuffled into a new unit. He had built more than just friendship and camaraderie with Ino and Kiba; he had built a family of sorts. And he wasn't so naïve as to believe that he would be able to see them regularly once promoted.

The Hokage wasn't finished, however.

"However, I have one final assignment for you as a genin, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi turned back to face his village as he said it, eyes locked on the faces of his predecessors and successor.

A confused haze settled over Naruto. He knew it showed on his face, but the Hokage couldn't see it, so he said, "What do you mean, old man?" slipping into his old method of speech. The Hokage didn't hand out special assignments to genin, as far as the blond knew. The exception to all the rules, again, he mused.

"You are ready for a promotion, Naruto-kun, of that I'm sure. Yamato has reported much in regards to your skills and development, and your accomplishments in your few missions clearly show that you can handle the workload and uncertainty of B-ranked missions." Sarutobi turned to face the boy once more, his face serious this time. "Tell me, what do you know of the Chunin Exams?"

Naruto shrugged hesitantly. "They serve as a way for genin to be promoted outside of wartime, are held once per six months, and are rotated throughout the ninja villages."

"Indeed. What you, along with most genin, don't know, is that the exams are a substitute for war: a way for the villages to show off their best and brightest for the sake of reputation, in a way."

Naruto's mind put the pieces together rather quickly, once the Sandaime had made his declaration. "So you want to…show me off?" He had a hard time saying it, knowing how arrogant the statement sounded to his own ears.

He was relieved when the Sandaime gave him an encouraging nod. "In a manner of speaking. The exams are being held in Konoha this year, only a few weeks from now, and we will be expected to put forth a good showing. For one as young as you to participate, and to do as well as you will…"he trailed off, and Naruto filled in the blanks for himself.

"All of the members of your graduating class have been endorsed to participate as well, but only you will have a guaranteed promotion waiting for you at the end of it all," Sarutobi finished. Pride was written all over the aged legend's face as he spoke, and Naruto felt the weight of obligation come to rest on his shoulders.

The Hokage was, in effect, staking the majority of Konoha's reputation in the upcoming exams on him. He would be expected to participate, and excel to the point where a promotion was not only warranted, but expected. Beyond even that, the Sandaime looked to have all the confidence in the world that Naruto would perform to his expectations. No pressure, Naruto.

The blond leaned back in his chair, digesting the assignment. He would be competing against genin from around the continent, and he'd have to better than all of them.

He chuckled lightly, eliciting a raised brow from the Hokage. "No pressure, right?"

/~/

"You're good."

Naruto ignored the words, just as he had ignored Uchiha Sasuke's presence in his clearing for the past five minutes. He only had use of the small training ground until some shinobi of rank decided that they wanted it and ordered him out. He intended to make the most of his short time, and, as much as he might respect Sasuke's skills, Naruto wasn't about to let the boy cut into his training time unless he had something to offer.

He snatched up six shuriken from his weapons pouch and hurled them. Each one impacted a separate target attached to a separate wooden pole. Two bull's-eyes.

"You almost beat me."

"Almost," Naruto agreed, finally stirred from silence. Another six throwing stars were grabbed and thrown. One more bull's-eye and two clangs where the new shuriken impacted the old perfect throws.

"That makes you better than everyone else in class," Sasuke continued. If he was annoyed by Naruto's avoidance, he didn't show it. All that was visible was the genius' trademark aloofness.

"Maybe," returned Naruto. Shino and Kiba both have better form, and more strengths to play to, an inner voice that sounded like Gai told him. He threw another six shuriken. Six thumps; no bull's-eyes, no clangs. The blond scowled.

"What is it you want, teme?" he asked Sasuke grumpily. He turned to face the raven haired boy fully, pinning him with a glare.

Still, Sasuke was unmoved. Asshole.

"You're good," Sasuke repeated.

"Said that already."

The Uchiha finally gave into his instincts and frowned. Naruto repressed a smile. "Do I really have to spell it out for you, dobe?"

The suppressed smile became an open scowl. "Guess so, teme. What's so important that the mighty and amazing Uchiha Sasuke is bothering me? Don't you have better things to do?" Call him petty, but the name "dobe" struck a nerve with him. He wasn't the deadlast anymore, damnit!

Sasuke stayed rooted in place, standing rigidly at the entrance to Naruto's clearing, hands at his sides. "You're good, and you weren't good before. You were dead last two months ago. How? What happened?"

Naruto shrugged. "Started doing some stuff different, started listening to some people, started caring some more, trying harder…"

"Why?"

Naruto's eyes snapped to Sasuke's onyx orbs at the syllable. But he didn't see the usual derision he got from people when they asked him why he did things. He didn't see the polite curiosity or indulgence that he got when he spoke to the Hokage. Naruto saw two eyes sizing him up, assessing him. He straightened almost unconsciously.

"I've got some people that…" That what? That I need to kill? Naruto asked himself. "People that I've gotta be stronger than."

He expected a shrug, a laugh, a put down or an insult to his skills. He didn't expect understanding in the eyes of the class genius. He didn't expect a nod. And he didn't expect:

"So do I."

Wind whistled as the air was cut. Sharpened, matte black steel glinted ominously, wires as thin as they were deadly trailing in its wake. Six thumps sounded as the blades met wood, and the target grunted in pain.

And then the world exploded into fire as a dragon made of flames roared its fury. Or is it the dragon that makes the flames?

God damn, Naruto thought with no small amount of awe as he watched his clone's baking via Sasuke's latest instrument of destruction. That coordination with the wires can't be easy. Even with the Sharingan…

The raven haired Uchiha let the wires fall from his mouth silently, and turned to face the blond. His face was blank, save for the smallest gleam of satisfaction that rested in his Sharingan eyes. Naruto would have been hard pressed to catch the expression had he not known Sasuke as well as he did.

"Not bad," Naruto ventured, actually managing to draw a snort from his companion. "A bit slow moving at the get-go, and you'd have to have your opponent backed into a bit of a corner for them to not notice the different flight paths. Not bad though."

"Hn, thanks, dobe." Sasuke's sarcasm would have been evident to a deaf man.

Naruto's face darkened for an instant before he mastered himself. Sasuke had always been able to get under his skin with just a word. Bastard. "Something Kakashi showed you?" he asked instead, genuinely curious. Doesn't seem like his style, Naruto mused. Doesn't look like something that gets taught, really.

Sasuke confirmed his thoughts with a shake of his head.

"Something you came up with?" Sasuke remained silent, electing to retrieve his used shuriken from being pinned to a training log. The log itself was all but burned to a crisp and falling apart in pieces, ash gently floating to the ground. The blond scowled, both at Sasuke's non-reaction – though that was simply par for the course with the Uchiha – and at the reminder of one of Asuma's original techniques. The Hokage had been kind enough to pass on many of Asuma's personal jutsu notes to Naruto after his son's death – as the old man had no use for them. Many had been Fuuton in nature, while most of the others were Katon.

He'd have to complete the elemental conditioning tests for the Fire element before he would be ready to try any of those. And he was still plowing his way through Earth.

"Something you picked up then," Naruto concluded, having taken Sasuke's silence as a no. That was what it usually was.

The Uchiha pocketed his strewn gear and turned, mimicking Naruto by leaning against one of the remaining, intact training posts. "Hn. Something like that."

Had Naruto's suspicions not already been aroused, and had he not know his friend as well as he did, he likely would've missed the gleam in the boy's eyes as he spoke. It was a gleam that the blond had long ago determined to be madness. It wasn't overt; it was subtle, hidden, yet very much there. It was the tiny spark of insanity that Naruto knew all truly powerful shinobi possessed. It was what drove them. It was what set them apart.

It was what gave them their edge.

Naruto knew that he, himself, possessed that same insanity. That same drive; that same need for excellence that wouldn't let him stop until his goal had been achieved or he was nothing more than a corpse. On some days he wondered who was the crazier of the two of them; him or Sasuke? He didn't honestly wish to know the answer.

Itachi, Naruto's mind supplied. The shuriken technique that Sasuke had just demonstrated had come from his brother. It was yet another of Uchiha Itachi's homespun techniques that Sasuke had happened to witness as a child. It was yet another technique that Sasuke had been determined to master; something to put him on some measure of even footing with the man whose genius had made shinobi twenty years his senior look like mere Academy students when he was but thirteen years old.

"Survive, Uzumaki Naruto."

Words whispered on a midnight breeze almost seemed to drift past Naruto's ears, and the blond barely repressed a shudder. Dimly, it occurred to the blond that the same man was pushing both himself and Sasuke to greater things than all of their peers: Sasuke so as to kill the man and avenge his family; Naruto so as to survive against the might of an organization of S-ranked shinobi after the biju in his gut.

And even with everything that's happened, I'm nowhere close to where I need to be. The blond always did his best to keep his mind off his skill – or lack thereof – in comparison to those who would hunt him for his burden. It always depressed him. And it didn't help that he was always, in the not-so-deep recesses of his mind, wondering when some S-ranked monster might spring from the shadows and obliterate his life.

The telltale whisper of a kunai shattered his thoughts. Naruto dipped his head slightly, letting the throw that was only meant to get his attention clatter off his forehead protector.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as the blond glared. "Didn't know you could look so deep in thought, idiot. Can't be good for that brain of yours – might pop a blood vessel."

Blue eyes rolled instinctively at the predictable slight against his intelligence. "You keep thinking that, asshole, if it helps you maintain that ego of yours. God knows you need to think you're better than me at something."

"Tch." Sasuke said nothing more, electing to stride out of the clearing in the direction of the village. Naruto fell into step beside him.

The silence stretched for a few minutes, neither participant in any need to break it. Naruto, predictably, ended it, however. "I take it you guys got nominated." It wasn't a question.

"Hn." It was a positive grunt, Naruto noted.

It came as no surprise. The village had been buzzing with the anticipation for the Chunin Exams coming up, and Naruto knew from the Hokage that all of the rookie genin teams had been put forth as participants – should they so choose to, of course. Naruto knew quite well that every single team was going to participate.

Still, "Bit surprising, though, given what you've said about your team's ah…dynamic." And, indeed, Team Seven's lack of cohesion apparently hadn't changed since he and Sasuke had last talked about it – some short time before Naruto's mission to Wave Country.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Kakashi's smart enough to see a lost cause when it's right in front of him. Haruno's too immature to ever be considered for chunin, and Nara's too lazy. He implied pretty heavily that he only put us in as a learning experience."

"Think the dynamic duo picked up on it?"

Sasuke sent him a withering look at his nickname. "Nara's lazy, but the louse has a brain that he uses, whether he wants people to know or not. Haruno's got a blind spot to anything that she doesn't like bigger than the Hokage Monument. I doubt anything can get through that skull of hers unless she wants it to."

"Or it gets beaten in," Naruto surmised. Sasuke nodded sagely. "You think that's what Hatake's after?"

"Tch, probably." The Uchiha gave a long suffering sigh that made Naruto's eyes roll instinctively. So melodramatic. "Kakashi knows his subject but –"

"But he can't teach people who don't wanna learn," Naruto surmised. Sasuke's annoyed look at being cut off faded as he nodded.

"Got it in one, dobe," he said.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and interlaced his fingers behind his head. "Eh, who knows? Maybe this whole thing'll be fun?"

"Hn. It better be," Sasuke said imperiously. "I need some real competition."

The blond barked a laugh. "I'm insulted!"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes, though a hesitant smirk played across his lips. "You know what I mean, idiot. Have to see how the other villages measure up. See how I compare – not that there's any real doubt, mind you."

Naruto brushed the casual arrogance away with practiced ease. "Gotta measure your capacity. I feel you." From the corner of his eye, the blond observed the Uchiha's well hidden, but still visible flinch at his words. He didn't mention it.

They had reached the village proper and stopped just outside.

"Well, places to go, people to see. You know the drill, Uchiha."

"Hn. Whatever, loser. Just don't let Yamanaka screw with your mind too much." The genius tilted his head to the side and regarded the blond for a moment. "But then, I suppose it's a bit too late for that, isn't it?" Smirking devilishly at his parting shot, Sasuke stepped into Shunshin with a 'pop', leaving a sputtering blond in his wake.

Naruto shook his head. "Tch, asshole." Channeling chakra, he took a single step forward, and let his own Shunshin carry him.

He reappeared outside the Yamanaka flower shop, following through by transitioning seamlessly into a walk. Outwardly, he showed no expression. Inwardly, he was grinning like a loon at how cool he must have looked to any observant passersby. The startled and slightly awed look of a woman whose path he crossed on his way to the door only reinforced his self absorption. Oh yeah, I'm awesome.

The door opened on oiled hinges, and the tinkling of the welcome bell greeted his ears. The aroma of a thousand different flowers made itself known, and the blond found himself with a smile on his face. It smelt like Ino – or, rather, Ino smelt like her family's shop – and thoughts of the fairer of his two teammates almost always brought a smile to Naruto's whiskered face these days.

A man with long blond hair, slightly lighter than Naruto's own, sat at the attendant's desk, nose buried in a book. The welcoming bell alerted him to a presence in his shop, and Yamanaka Inoichi's eyes rose to look at Naruto, a greeting on his lips.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop. I think I already know how I can help you, Uzumaki-san," the semi-retired jonin said wryly. "Unless my daughter isn't the reason you've decided to pay us a visit."

"'Fraid not, sir," Naruto returned.

"Figures," the Yamanaka clan head murmured before he called, "Ino! You have a visitor!" Naruto shook his head in bewilderment. It always unsettled him seeing a man he knew to be both a clan head and an A-ranked jonin shinobi so at ease in domestic life.

"Coming, dad! Who is it?" Naruto heard the voice of his teammate ask.

"Your teammate," the man said ambiguously. He shared an amused glance with Naruto, both males knowing how the answer would annoy Ino.

The sound of steps coming down the back stairs reached both their ears. "Which teammate, dad? Honestly…"

"The smart one," Naruto said with a smile as Ino emerged. She was clothed in a white, v-neck t-shirt and a pair of denims.

The blond girl scoffed, none-too-politely, but smiled. "I don't have a smart teammate. Try again."

"The good looking one?" Naruto ventured.

The girl gave her father a peck on the cheek and a goodbye, before slipping on her sandals and leading Naruto out. "Eh, it's better, but it sounds like something Kiba would say."

Naruto spared the Yamanaka patriarch a nod as he left the shop, and received one in return. Inoichi had always treated him with the same indifference he treated everyone else with, and Naruto wasn't ashamed to admit that it pleased him. Feeling normal wasn't something he often got to do, and he relished ever opportunity.

He returned his attention to Ino. "Probably. It's true though," he continued.

"We all know I'm the best looking one on the team, Naruto," Ino quipped casually, flipping her long hair over her right shoulder and hitting Naruto in the face. She smiled sweetly at him in response to his mild glare.

Never been any doubt as to that, Naruto's subconscious murmured. The boy quashed the urge to blush with sheer force of will. "If you say so," was all he said in return.

"Oh but I do. And we both know that I'm never wrong."

"Do we now?"

Ino nodded emphatically, a serious look on her pretty face. "Yes, we do."

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. His eyes glittered with mirth in the twilight, reflecting the customary lanterns Konohans lit just before dark. "And what about that time you and Kiba got into it over how to properly manage Akamaru's stomach?"

"Doesn't count," she answered immediately.

"And why's that?"

"It's Akamaru. Kiba and his clan's judgment is always gonna win out when it comes to dogs. Even then, I still think they handled it wrong," the blond girl sniffed.

"You think that the clan that specializes in their canine familiars is wrong when it comes to how to sort out a dog's stomach problems?" Naruto asked as the duo weaved in and out of the evening traffic aimlessly. The boy snatched up a free sample some clerk was offering as he passed by.

"It was nothing a good herbal blend wouldn't have sorted out." Ino was quite sure of herself. "And besides, we both know I'm always right in an argument with Kiba," she said, swiftly swiping Naruto's sample before it could reach his mouth. The whiskered boy glared impotently as she chewed the piece of chicken with pleasure.

He settled for rolling his eyes and grabbing a new bite from a different clerk. He made sure to eat it quickly this time, giving his companion a flat look when she flashed him a grin. "Well that's for sure," he conceded. "Doesn't prove that you're always right, though."

She raised a well manicured eyebrow at him. "Have you ever won an argument with me?"

Naruto chuckled. "I don't bother getting into arguments with you, Ino –"

"Because you know I'll always win."

" – because I know they won't go anywhere," he finished. "Kinda like this one."

Ino, quite maturely, stuck her tongue out at him.

"And speaking of not going anywhere, where are we going, exactly?" Naruto asked. He had dropped by the flower shop for a quick hello, and was now on a trek to nowhere with his ever-confusing teammate.

"You're buying me dinner," Ino stated quite confidently.

"I am?"

"Mhm!"

"Says who?" Naruto asked with a laugh in his voice.

His companion favored him with a withering look. "You mean you drop buy my house at dinner time, lead me out into the village, and you don't plan to buy me dinner? I thought that's what we were doing."

"Who the hell said that? I know it wasn't me. And what do you mean 'lead you into the village'?" Naruto asked, incredulous. "I just came by to say hello; you pulled me out of the shop."

Stopping in the middle of the street, Ino let the traffic flow around them as she batted her eye lashes at Naruto, smiling sweetly. "Are you saying you don't want to buy me dinner?"

Oh, for the love of God… "Never said that."

"So you do wanna buy me dinner!" Ino squealed. She looked for all the world to have received the greatest gift in the universe.

"Why not?" Naruto conceded. If he bothered to protest, she would just lead him around long enough for him to cave anyway. He figured he'd save himself the trouble.

"Yay! And why wouldn't you want to buy me dinner?" she asked rhetorically as she latched onto his left arm. "You get to bask in my presence for even longer."

Naruto couldn't help the smile that blossomed on his face. "How could anyone say no to that?"

"I dunno. I'm pretty amazing."

"Not suffering from a lack of self esteem are we?"

Ino favored him with her best 'Bitch, please' look. "Not even slightly."

"Didn't think so, but I'm glad we cleared it up."

"Are you?"

"Yup."

They drifted in silence for a few minutes, still with no destination in mind, before Naruto decided to get the whole dinner part of this impromptu date over with before it got too late. Is it a date, he wondered, not really knowing the answer.

"So, where do you wanna eat?" he finally asked.

"Dunno. Pick someplace."

"Why don't you?"

Ino shrugged. "I'm not great at picking. Too many choices; I always regret not eating someplace else afterwards."

"Am I seeing a flaw in Yamanaka Ino's perfection?" He mock gasped.

His companion merely scoffed. "Hardly," she said. The girl elbowed him in the ribs for good measure. Naruto just laughed.

They eventually settled on a sushi stall just off the main avenue, close to the administration building. Naruto had been more than a little disgruntled when Ino had told him, in no uncertain terms, that ramen was not an option. They had left twenty minutes later, Naruto's pockets relieved of many of the ryo he had been carrying. The blond had some disposable cash these days – what with the upgraded pay he received from the missions that had gone awry and Zabuza's bounty – but he hadn't planned on paying for dinner for someone other than himself.

"Naruto-kun, where exactly are we going?" Ino asked softly. Night had fallen completely, and Naruto realized that he had been leading them towards the Hokage Monument.

Old habits die hard, he thought wryly. He debated his course of action for a second, before deciding to proceed as he would have normally, even with Ino there. It wasn't like he was the only ninja who ever sat on the old Hokages' heads; he was likely just the most frequent visitor.

"Up," he said. He didn't give Ino time to question him before he gripped her tightly, lifted her slightly off the ground, and whirled into Shunshin.

They reappeared on top of the Sandaime's head less than a moment later, with Naruto significantly more composed than the distinctly ruffled Ino. A shriek escaped her lips that hadn't had time to properly form back on the ground.

"Don't do that!" she practically screamed at him as he let her down. She hit him on the chest when all the boy did was laugh.

"Ah, but it's so much fun, Ino-chan," he said cheekily. She only glared at him. "Eh, don't be complaining. You've got the best view in the village." Naruto turned his gaze from his pretty teammate to the breathtaking view of Konoha proper, alit as it was with an orange glow that emanated from the hundreds of lanterns.

He felt Ino sidle up next to him, her own eyes trained on the village. "It is nice," she whispered.

Naruto snorted. "Nice? That's it?"

The girl shrugged. "I've seen better."

"Oh yeah? When?" Naruto was skeptical.

His companion grinned impishly at him. "Every time I look in the mirror, Naruto-kun."

The ensuing laughter might have been heard by the whole village.

Finally managing to regain his breath, Naruto favored his teammate with a shake of his head. "You're impossible."

"You love me."

They drifted into silence for a time, neither needing to fill the quiet. At some point, they sat down, Ino curled up against Naruto's right side as a cool breeze whispered past.

"Naruto?" the blond girl asked after a time.

"Hmm?" the whiskered boy looked down to find Ino's head resting on his shoulder, her gaze turned outwards.

"Thanks."

He gave the top of his companion's head a questioning look. "For?"

"This." Ino gestured with her free right arm to the view they were currently enjoying. "And for getting me out of my house."

Naruto neglected to mention that she had been the one to drag him out into the village.

"My mom's been…suffocating lately," she began. "Ever since Wave, really, but this last mission really pushed her over the edge."

Naruto, unfamiliar with the concept of parental concern, simply let her continue, doing his best to ignore the familiar pang of loneliness that arose every time he was reminded that his parents were both dead and gone. Unbidden, his eyes flickered to his father's face to his left. They stayed for less than a second.

"She married my dad at the tail end of his active duty career, when he was being groomed to be the next clan head. She's not really…used to having anyone she really knows and loves in danger, and it's scaring her." Ino sighed, and Naruto felt her whole body sag slightly against him. "She keeps trying to talk to me about taking up an administration position. Or at least something away from real missions."

"And your dad? Surely he understands," Naruto ventured tentatively. He was unused to having people pour their hearts out to him. He couldn't say that he liked it, but it was Ino. And for that reason and that reason alone he would do his best.

She shook her head. "He does, but he doesn't stop her. I'm pretty sure some part of him doesn't want me in the field either. He just sits by and lets her nag and nag and nag and it just…gets me! They don't get it! They don't get it or they don't care! I don't wanna be just some career genin or mid-level chunin who works in the village all the time. That's not what a kunoichi does…"

Naruto found himself nodding along with her, though he was a little surprised by her vehemence. He had felt much the same as a child, back when becoming Hokage had been the only thing that mattered to him. And he still felt it a bit now. The allure of excellence, of leaving your mark on the world – it was something many shinobi felt and dreamed of, though only a few ever achieved. The fear of anonymity and mediocrity was a real one, and was likely doubly terrifying to a proud perfectionist like Ino.

"No it's not," Naruto found himself saying, though he had no idea where it was coming from. "And that's not what you're gonna do." He said it with a certainty that left no doubt as to his confidence in her. He even surprised himself a little with it, realizing that he had quite a bit of faith in his fellow blond. His respect for her had risen astronomically since the formation of Team Ten, and she never failed to beat his expectations.

She was someone Naruto not only liked, but felt that he could trust with his back at all times.

"How can you be so sure?" Ino asked meekly from his side. The fear of failure had reduced her voice to a near whisper. "How can you know?"

"Because I know you."

Ino's blue-green eyes lifted to meet Naruto's steady gaze. The boy didn't waver for a moment, keeping his eyes locked on his companion's until she averted her gaze, a small flush that Naruto could feel rather than see adorning her cheeks.

He shifted his eyes back to the village, basking in its nighttime glory once more. "Believe me, if you don't believe yourself."

"I do," Naruto heard her whisper as she turned her own gaze back to the village.

Silence stretched once more, and Naruto found himself lost in thoughts of himself, the girl at his side, and the future. The thoughts fell to nothingness when his brain registered a soft pressure on his right cheek, and he realized that Ino was kissing him.

He couldn't help the wave of goose bumps that covered him as he tried to repress a shiver and stiffened. Slowly, Ino's lips left his cheek, and Naruto turned his face to meet that of his teammate's. Their eyes met and held, and by some unspoken agreement leaned towards each other.

Their lips met in the middle, tentatively, softly, and stayed for a few seconds that, to Naruto, felt like nearly a minute. He pulled back slightly, opening the eyes that he hadn't realized he had closed, and watched Ino do the same. A small smile flitted across her lips, and Naruto couldn't help himself and did the same.

Again, by unspoken agreement, their lips met, and Naruto came to the conclusion that he liked kissing Ino. Might have to do it again sometime, some distant part of his brain supplied.

They broke after a minute of testing the waters, smiling slightly at each other the whole time. Leaning back, Naruto shifted so that his right arm was wrapped around Ino's chest, pulling her into him.

"Been meaning to do that for a while now," his companion said quietly.

Naruto nodded. "Think you might do it again?"

Ino shrugged. "I'll think about it."

He chuckled throatily, pulling his teammate into a one armed embrace.

No words passed between them for some small amount of time, before:

"You do realize that Kiba's gonna give us so much shit for this."

"Oh yeah."

/~/