Chapter Eighteen: Potential Fears

"First off, excellent work you three. All of you made it to the finals. Oji-sama will be extremely pleased with that outcome." Kurotsuchi remarked as the woman and her genin entered their hotel room after leaving the forest that held the second exam and preliminaries. Two of the three grinned as the older boy nodded. "Kurai, you're fight may have been short but that was good because you only had to use a single technique to win. Your abilities are still unknown so they won't be able to fully plan against you. Hikari, same thing only because your opponent was extremely weak. While Kurai permanently crippled his opponent, you may have just scared yours into quitting the Shinobi life entirely, which is just as good. And then you Naruto." The jonin started as she turned to her last student and the one she knew best. "While restricting yourself to just taijutsu was rather stupid, you performed at a level far above what anybody would expect from genin. Also, because you restricted yourself, your true skills are just as unknown as you're teammates are. So while it was a stupid move, it still worked out to our advantage."

"Sensei." Kurai called to get her attention. "My opponent in the finals is the jinchuriki to the Ichibi and from what you told us is a central part to Suna's plan with Oto. What am I to do? I am unsure if I could win and even if I could, the container would be severely damaged and unable to play his part afterwards. Should I forfeit or even attempt to win?" He asked as both his teammates nodded since it was a very important question. Kurotsuchi thought it over before shaking her head and sighing.

"I don't know Kurai. We'll wait for the Tsuchikage to arrive and he'll tell you." She told him before turning to Hikari. "Your opponent is an Aburame, which are well known for using some kind of super insects the clan breeds and then implants in their bodies. While not much is known outside of that, I think a couple of your clan jutsu should work perfectly fine for that match. In the meantime, I'll also work on your earth element over the month with you." She explained as Hikari nodded with a slight grin.

"I've already got a plan in my head and I just need to run a couple tests during the month to see if I got the technique down yet. I was just started on it back home before these Exams." Kurotsuchi smiled before turning to Naruto.

"Your opponent is a wind user like you so you should be able to counter, negate, or even redirect her jutsu if you go at them right. All I'm really telling you is don't restrict yourself again Naruto. That was fine in the preliminaries but that shit won't work in the finals." The boy chuckled but nodded before there was a knock on the door. The team stiffened as the jonin walked over and opened the door to see an Anbu with a bird mask standing there. "What do you want?"

"Your team has been given training grounds thirty-eight for the one month before the finals." The Anbu explained before holding out a piece of paper. "This will show you where it's located but if you wish for a guide then simply ask someone at the Hokage Tower to provide one for you tomorrow." He turned his head slightly to glance at the genin behind the woman, specifically Naruto, before turning back. "Hokage-sama also requests your presence for a simple talk tomorrow morning."

"We refuse." The woman shot back lazily as the Anbu tilted his head, not expecting that response.

"You can't. Hokage-sama's orders are absolute within Konoha." The woman smirked and shook her head.

"Two things. One; you said request meaning we have a choice to refuse it if we want. And two; we aren't Konoha Shinobi. Under Chunin Exam laws, laws your Sandaime helped make by the way, as foreign Shinobi we are to be treated as guests. You cannot force us to do anything unless we break the law. And since we aren't your village's Shinobi but guests under international law we can tell your boss to, respectfully, shove his request up his ass. Good bye." The woman then slammed the door shut in the stunned Anbu's face as Hikari and Naruto were holding in their laughter and Kurai even looked slightly amused. The woman opened the paper to see the instructions to their training grounds and nodded to herself. "Okay then team, tomorrow we're going to these training grounds to work on a few things but I suggest you don't work on anything that you want to keep secret since I'm sure an Anbu or two will be watching us and reporting everything we do to the Hokage. Also, no going out on your own. Only in pairs or altogether for safety reasons. Understood?"

"Hai sensei!" The three chirped so she grinned and left for her room back across the hall while Kurai lied down on his bed and Naruto wrapped Hikari in his arms before falling back onto their own.

"Quick question; do you guys think I should kill my Suna opponent or not?" Naruto asked as the two leaned their heads to glance at him.

"I don't really care but I'll say no since she seems to be a Kunoichi that actually takes her career seriously." Hikari chirped as Kurai closed his eyes.

"Killing her would serve no purpose but neither would it hinder Iwa in any way I can tell. My opinion is that you kill her if you feel that you should but otherwise incapacitate her via non-lethal means." The stoic teen said as Naruto grunted.

"Alright then. I was just wondering. I'll ask sensei tomorrow just in case. I literally only thought about it after she left anyways." The boy mused as Hikari kissed him on the cheek before relaxing. Naruto hugged her tighter to him and smiled as Kurai merely fell asleep.

"We'll just train tomorrow Naru-kun. Speaking of, I'm going to need your help with that test I mentioned to sensei."

"My healing is gonna be put through the meat grinder isn't it?" He deadpanned as the girl chuckled slightly.

"Not if I'm doing it right."

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"Thank you Karasu, you are dismissed." Hiruzen sighed as the Anbu left and he turned to the three in the room with him. "Danzo, Homura, Koharu; we need a plan. If that boy really is Naruto then Konoha is in grave danger off of sheer possibility alone, especially if this gets out to the public. I've seen the boy and I'll admit, he looks just like I would've expected him to at this age and his skill level already points to this being an extremely possible chance." The Hokage told them as they were discussing what to do about Naruto. At first all three denied it but then he replayed the video recording of the preliminaries, specifically going straight to Naruto's match. Afterwards the three had believed him when he said it likely was the boy Sarutobi had sent away all those years ago, though they had no idea how Iwa got their hands on him or what the boy's feelings towards Konoha were. But just judging off how he acted during his match, they assumed he likely had some hostility for them all.

"This would have never even happened had you not sent the boy away in the first place Hiruzen." Danzo admonished as the man growled.

"Now is not the time Danzo! I already know what a mistake I made. Right now we need a plan to fix it! And before Onoki arrives in the village. I have a very strong belief he will try to claim Naruto's inheritance from his parents and despite what I may try, legally I would be unable to deny the boy. Minato didn't leave any instructions and didn't leave anything in his will other than it all goes to his wife or their child. Kushina was the same. That means that so long as the boy is an adult he can claim it, and by being a Shinobi he legally is such! All Onoki must do is point that out and I'll be forced to hand everything over. If I don't he can take this to both the daimyos of our lands and they will force me too. We need a plan!" The man reiterated as the three advisors scowled. From how the old Kage put it, it did seem pretty hopeless if Onoki managed to make it to Konoha.

"I doubt we could have Onoki assassinated on his way here." Homura mused before shaking his head. "No, even if it wasn't drawn to us, the fallout of a murdered Kage could bring about war like the missing Kazekage did before the Third War. Without a properly trained jinchuriki among our forces, war is not an option for us. I'm merely glad we've managed to keep it a secret that we no longer wield the Kyuubi and its might."

"Kidnapping or killing the boy is out of the option as well. Not only would Iwa instantly know it was us, killing him would bring back the Kyuubi in a few years and we do not have the might to face the biju currently. Kidnapping him would also fail as the boy would likely refuse to work for Konoha. We'd have better luck ripping Kyuubi out of him and sealing it into another however that provides different problems." Koharu added. "Only an Uzumaki can contain the Kyuubi and all our intelligence points to that boy being the only one of that bloodline left. We'd have to have him impregnate a few women to bring out a child that we could seal the beast into but by the time that plan would be ready, Iwa would be upon us to take him back. Due to Saru's mistake, they can legally claim ownership of the boy since he's their Shinobi."

"Our best bet would be to wait until after the Exams and send assassins that will kill off everyone in the Iwa party save for the boy and bring him back. A shame somewhat since Onoki is known for his Kekkei Tota and his granddaughter for her own Kekkei Genkai. Adding either of those abilities to Konoha's might would be a boon but the Kyuubi comes first and I cannot see a way to grab all three. Plus perhaps the young genin with the boy as they show promise as well. And actually getting our hands on a Hanamaru would allow us to learn their secrets." Danzo mused before shaking his head. "We cannot act before the Tsuchikage arrives but afterwards would be far too difficult. Our hands are tied Sarutobi and its your fault." The man glared at his old rival but put it aside as he tried to think of a plan.

"The most I can do is delay the inevitable by demanding a blood test to see if this Naruto is the very same child that Kushina gave birth to. The answer looks obvious though and then it would merely reinforce their stand." The man muttered. "I cannot destroy Minato's or Kushina's wills or the property it promises, not only did they reinforce them all with seals to make sure they could last but if I suddenly went and destroyed the Namikaze mansion questions would be raised and Iwa would know and be able to demand compensation in other ways. As it stands the only thing I can think of is trying to convince Naruto to defect to Konoha or make Onoki hand him over. Onoki would never let such a prize go free though and I can't speak to Naruto to try and convince him. As their jonin-sensei pointed out, unless they break a law I cannot demand anything from them so they may refuse any attempt I make at reaching out to Naruto as much as they wish."

"We could not afford to make any sort of trade for the jinchuriki as it stands to begin with Sarutobi." Homura pointed out as Koharu nodded. "All I can see at this point is trying to deny the existence of a will in the first place but doing so is essentially giving them free reign to go and claim it as they wish since we'd have no legal precedent to stop them with that route."

"We are backed into a corner with the only two ways out to be submit or fight. Neither is an option!" Danzo growled. "One will hand over some of Konoha's greatest assets and it's largest non-clan fortune to the enemy! And we lack the strength to fight back due to the enemy possessing the very weapon we would fight for!" Sarutobi nodded with the mans' words as he spoke nothing but the truth. It looked like his greatest regret outside of Orochimaru was coming back to destroy him. And the worst part was how little he could do against it.

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"I still can't believe that was really Minato-sensei's son…" Kakashi mused as he sat at a bar with a sake cup in front of him. Asuma and Kurenai were sitting with him as Gai was going to be joining them after seeing to Lee's injuries and going over the month's plans with the three students. As Kurenai and Kakashi only had a student each to worry about for the next month, and Asuma had none, they had already finished explaining the next month's plans to their genin.

"I thought Yondaime-sama didn't have a child. Or a wife for that matter." Asuma mused as Kakashi shook his head. "You're telling me he had both?" Kakashi nodded and was about to explain as Gai sat down at their table.

"Ah, my friends. It's good for us to get together like this once again. I only wish all of us could have had the pleasure of glorifying our students marvelous flames of youth this night. However I believe that team from Iwa has dulled those flames with their actions." The man mused as he sat down, for once not shouting as he normally did. "Kakashi, my eternal rival. You knew Yondaime-sama better than us, what do you know about Lee's opponent?" The man asked.

"I was about to get to that when you sat down Gai so perfect timing." The one-eyed jonin remarked so Gai gave a small grin before dropping it and waving for the man to explain. The jonin swirled the sake in his cup for a second and sighed. "Alright, what I'm about to explain is an A-rank secret that's likely going to be revealed soon, whether Hokage-sama wants it to or not. Minato-sensei married in secret towards the end of the Third War. It was kept secret because of the hatred he received from both Iwa and Kumo, though his wife received just as much for her own exploits." He mused before looking around and slipping a small silencing seal under the table and activating it. They were standard issue for Anbu and as an ex-agent of the elite force Kakashi could still get them when he wanted to.

"So who'd he marry? I know she has to be dead as well otherwise people would likely know about her."

"Oh you all know her, you just didn't know this about her. He married Uzumaki Kushina, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero." The man told them as their eyes widened in shock. Sure it was common knowledge that Kushina and Minato were close when they were alive and despite the protests from the Yondaime's fan girls, it was believed they would marry soon. Apparently they did without anyone knowing about it. "The marriage was kept a secret to only the Hokage, Sannin, myself and a few others. Kushina-sama's pregnancy was kept to even fewer; myself, Jiraiya-sama and the Hokage. She gave birth the same day of the Kyuubi attack and apparently Minato-sensei had no other choice but to seal the beast into his newborn son. Kushina-sama apparently died holding it down for him to do so."

"Then how did Iwa get their hands on the kid? If this is that same kid in the first place that is." Asuma asked as Kakashi shook his head.

"It is. They named their son Naruto and I laid eyes on him just once before hand. Blond hair and whisker like birthmarks on his cheeks. That was the same boy, it has to be."

"Then how did Iwa get him?" Kurenai cut in. Kakashi sighed as he thought back to that night.

"Feelings were high after the attack as you all know. Hokage-sama had just retaken the position and all the Shinobi of the village knew that a jinchuriki had been made. It was the only way to truly stop a biju so it was obvious that was what happened. Somehow the village got out word of it, only they didn't hear 'jinchuriki'. They heard 'demon in human form'. Hokage-sama must've thought the village would never accept him or something because he ordered a jonin to spirit him out of the village to a civilian family on the border to be raised. They were spotted on the way by Root Anbu though because I was sent out shortly after to try and protect the boy but when I caught up everyone was dead but both Naruto and the scroll meant to explain who and what he was? They were both missing. I could determine that both parties killed each other and that another group had run through but that was it. That other group must've taken both Naruto and the scroll and they either were Iwa spies or they later lost him to Iwa. Those are the only things I can think of." Kakashi finished as his jonin friends all took drinks of their sake and mulled over what they had just learned.

"I know dad and know he had to send out search parties. They'd never go to Iwa though since everyone would expect them to kill anyone related to Yondaime-sama on sight." Asuma started. "But what I don't get is dad sending the boy away in the first place, it doesn't make sense."

"What's in the past is in the past to stay Asuma. I'm more worried about the future." Kurenai added as they turned to her. "No offense to you or your student Gai but Lee was demolished and the boy restricted himself to just taijutsu simply to enjoy the match more. And then when you kicked him away to save your student, did any of you notice the change that came over the boy? His whisker's got thicker and his eyes were red. I'd think its safe to say he has some control over the Kyuubi. Not surprising since Iwa has two jinchuriki to help him with it." She explained before shaking her head. "Now imagine all that, but raised with Iwa's hatred against us." The other three went wide eyed as Kakashi looked down.

"I think it may be worse than that. Remember last time we met and I told you about my recent mission to Nami and how an Iwa team ruined it and escaped punishment through political loop-holes?" The man asked as they looked shocked and he nodded. "Yeah, same three. I asked their sensei during the second test if she knew them and she happily told me they weren't two chunin and a jonin like I thought but all three were her genin. That's when I warned Hokage-sama about them. And remember before the preliminaries, his comment against the Hokage? About the kunai? I'd say Minato-sensei's son already hates Konoha to some extent." Gai summed it up best for all of them in his own way after downing a glass of sake.

"If that boy is given the chance he can destroy Konoha, both physically and spiritually by the virtue of his skills and birth."

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"A message from Kurotsuchi in Konoha sir!" A jonin called out as the diminutive Kage let the man enter his office. Onoki perked up and grabbed the scroll with a grin before looking it over.

Start your trip Oji-sama because all three made it to the Finals! And Naruto-kun has been discovered so it might be best to hurry. Konoha is likely to only obey the laws for so long before even these tree-lovers finally snap. Looking forward to your arrival. ~Kurotsuchi

"Send for Deidara and Akatsuchi right now." The Kage ordered as the jonin bowed and left the room. The small man set the message down as he thought of his plans for Konoha, as well as Orochimaru's offer. To join in the destruction of Konoha or not? 'Well first things first.' The man mused. 'Getting Naruto the inheritance he deserves. Then using them for Iwa's gain. If all goes well then Iwa can have an entire army of Hirashin (Flying Thunder God) using ninja. And if not then the secret fuinjutsu of the Uzumaki clan will more than make up for it. Should Sarutobi and Konoha try anything to get out of handing over what is rightfully the boy's then Iwa will join Orochimaru's plot on the spot.' He thought as the two jonin he asked for entered the room and stood in front of him.

"You called Tsuchikage-sama?" Akatsuchi asked as Deidara stood next to him with a bored look. Onoki looked the two over and nodded.

"Pack your bags you two. You will be accompanying me to Konoha as all three of Kurotsuchi's students have made it to the finals."

"So the little gaki made it un? That's good to hear." Deidara grinned. "So how soon do we leave Tsuchikage-sama?"

"Tonight, I'll make us fly there in only a couple days."

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It was a couple days later as after training Naruto and Hikari had traveled to the ramen stand they had found on their first day in the village. "Hi again!" Naruto called out as he took a seat. The waitress and daughter of the owner, a young woman with brown hair that wore a white apron, smiled as they sat down.

"Oh, you two again. Hi. Where's your other teammate?" She asked as Hikari sat down to Naruto's right.

"He went with sensei to go somewhere else to eat since he didn't want ramen like Naru-kun here." She explained as Ayame nodded and Hikari us smiled. "One shrimp please."

"And three pork!" Naruto chirped as Ayame giggled but wrote it down.

"Okay then, that'll be up in just a moment." She told them before going in back. "Hey dad those Iwa genin are back." Was heard as she did before she popped her head back out. "Dad says hi and we're still not going to Iwa."

"Aw come on!" Naruto whined as Ayame giggled again and Hikari just rolled her eyes with a grin. "The best ramen I've tasted in my life and I have to run all the way to Konoha for it?" The boy just slammed his head down on the counter as Hikari felt her boyfriend was just being overdramatic. The two waited patiently for their order when the flaps at the front of the store were pushed aside and Lee, Tenten and Neji walked in. While Tenten and Neji were fine, Lee had a few bandages wrapped over various parts of his face and from the way he walked he had a few under his green spandex as well. When they saw the Iwa pair Neji sneered.

"Well if it isn't the liars from Iwa." Naruto and Hikari turned around to see who had spoken about them and when they saw who they narrowed their eyes.

"Oh, you. What do you three want?" Hikari muttered. The pair, as well as their other teammate and sensei, were angry at this particular team somewhat due to Gai's actions at the end of Naruto's match against Lee. The pair turned back as Ayame returned and set their bowls down.

"Here you go. One shrimp and three pork." The girl glanced up and smiled at the three Konoha genin even as they kept their eyes on the Iwa pair. "Oh hey, what can I get you three?" She asked, but was ignored.

"What I want is for the boy to drop his little act. The only Namikaze was our Yondaime and he died without a child or relative of any kind. Trying to fool Konoha just by looking like the man for whatever reason isn't going to work." Naruto's chopsticks snapped in his hands as Hikari turned her eyes to see him with a blank face.

"Never had a kid?" He muttered. "You mean to tell me that exile wasn't enough? He had to cover it all up as well?" The boy growled as Hikari frowned. "And to think, he was the only one I was willing to show mercy to."

"Covered what up liar?" Neji demanded as Hikari turned back to them while Naruto grabbed a new set of chopsticks.

"That he's the son of your Yondaime and was exiled on the same day he was born." She explained.

"But why would Hokage-sama do that?" Tenten cut in before Neji could insult them and declare them liars again. "If he's really the son of a Kage, he would've been treated like royalty here. Why would Hokage-sama even consider sending him away then?" She asked before shaking her head. "If you're trying to prove his claim then you're doing a poor job of it."

"Because I'm a jinchuriki and most of this village wanted me dead. I was exiled for my own safety. But hiding that I ever existed is another thing entirely." Naruto spat out as Lee posed a question.

"Excuse me, but what is a jinchuriki?" He asked before Neji cut him off.

"Like it matters. It would just be more lies." He spat out before turning around and leaving. "Let's go. I have no desire to eat near such lying fools." Tenten and Lee shared a glance before sighing and leaving after him, giving them a small apology for his rudeness as they did. Hikari just scoffed as the apology meant nothing to her and turned back to her food while Naruto was eating at a subdued pace. His thoughts were all storming around the info he had just gotten involving his story as Konoha knew it. Or rather, how they didn't know it.

'So first I'm exiled for my own safety but then he hides my very existence? I'm going to make him pay! Whether I get my inheritance or not I'm going to beg Oji-sama to let me kill this place. They will pay for such an insult!'

"I agree kit. And did you notice how they didn't know what jinchuriki meant? That's standard back in your Academy. But here it must not be. I get the feeling you aren't the only one that's been erased from their history books." Kyuubi chimed in and Naruto mentally nodded in agreement. It did seem a bit weird that they wouldn't know what a jinchuriki was. Then again, since Naruto was sent away, Konoha wouldn't have one meaning they'd only be able to teach about how their enemies have super weapons. A good village hides their weaknesses, even from themselves if they need to. If they were to teach about jinchuriki then all they'd be able to say is they were ninja of extraordinary might and that Konoha gave theirs up. Learning about such a stupid decision would no doubt call their village leadership into question and that's not acceptable. It would be much easier to hide the truth in that case. "Which is apparently what they did kit." Kyuubi added as he had been listening to Naruto's thoughts.

'Doesn't change the fact that you and I will destroy them when the time comes Kyuubi.'

"And enjoy every second of it as well Naruto."

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"So Yoroi and Misumi were slain by Naruto-kun were they?" Orochimaru mused as Kabuto stood a few feet away and explained everything that happened in the forest to his team.

"Yes. I hope that's not a problem Orochimaru-sama." The teen finished with a slight grin as the snake Sannin waved it off.

"An annoyance and nothing more. Tell me, what did you think of young Sasuke-kun Kabuto?" The man asked as Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his face.

"He seems to have a lot of hatred in him. I think it would be easy to turn him to your side of things if nothing here in the village improves for him." The Sannin laughed as Kabuto pulled out a card and pushed chakra into it to reveal everything he had on Sasuke.

"But what could they improve? The boy is receiving the best training Konoha can currently give him and is falling over backwards to please him." The man shot out before chuckling. "But the best Konoha can give is not the best a Sannin could do. And that is why when the time comes Sasuke-kun will willingly hand himself over to my command."

"So it seems." Kabuto shrugged with a slight grin before changing the subject. "Since all of Iwa's genin made it to the finals, I assume the Tsuchikage is coming?" The elder ninja nodded. "Then when will you confront him about your plans?"

"After they have their little chat with Sarutobi-sensei. They plan on strong-arming him into handing over the fortunes left by Minato and his wife. The Namikaze Estate and everything within it as well as quite the hefty sum of money will all be given to young Naruto-kun and through him to Iwa. And if sensei should somehow refuse Onoki promised me that Iwa will guarantee their help. If sensei relents then it's only a possibility. Albeit a large one pointing towards agreeing with my plan."

"What of Gaara? He's fighting one of their genin in the first round."

"So long as Gaara can still do his part after his match I could care less. I'm more interested in watching Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun fight. A pity they weren't matched together but it seems I truly can't have everything I want." The man chuckled as Kabuto smirked.

"Is there anything else you need me to do Orochimaru-sama?" The man thought for a moment before nodding.

"Keep and eye on Sasuke-kun over the month for me. I'll be taking care of things with the Kazekage after I speak with Onoki about the plan. I trust you'll ensure everything's taken care of for me upon my return."

"But of course Orochimaru-sama."

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"Alright Sasuke. Over the month I'm going to drill you in speed and taijutsu mostly and if you managed to meet a certain level in both I'll teach you my signature jutsu." Kakashi explained as the boy was standing in front of him and looking around with a somewhat bored expression. The two were standing on top of one rocky plateau and were surrounded by countless more. Since Sai had been crippled, he hadn't been able to warn anyone about Sasuke's curse mark as he had yet to wake up from the instant coma the shock and pain of Kurai's attack and thrown him in. Likewise, Sakura had yet to come out of her bedroom for anything other than meals with her parents before rushing back in as she refused to let anyone see her with her new scar. As such, all Sasuke had done was started to wear a shirt with a higher collar and the mark was hidden. It still pained him occasionally and made it hard for him to use jutsu but he had done some secret practice within his home and felt he had a good grasp on it now.

"What jutsu?" Sasuke asked as Kakashi ran through a quick run of three hand-signs before holding his hand out as it was charged with lightning. He then dashed at a nearby rock and using his electrified limb he punched a hole straight through it.

"This one, the Chidori (One Thousand Birds)." He explained before looking to Sasuke. "This jutsu is a high speed jab with the penetrating and destructive power of lightning behind it. I've yet to find a defense it didn't instantly pierce. However the drawback to the jutsu is the extreme speed you must be running at to use it gives you tunnel vision."

"But the Sharingan negates that." Sasuke cut in and Kakashi nodded.

"Exactly." The man walked back over and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder as he looked down on his student. "Listen Sasuke, there's only one thing I want you to promise me about this jutsu. Never use it against a Konoha Shinobi. It's meant only for protecting your comrades. Do you understand?" The boy thought for a moment before nodding. He'd use it to protect his comrades, after all the easiest way to protect them would be to slaughter every threat to them. Starting with that Iwa team and the blond who claimed to be related to the Yondaime. He would pay for the humiliation he put him through after Nami.

"I understand sensei." He answered before looking to the hole Kakashi had made. "I'll get stronger. Strong enough to take down those bastards from Iwa."

"About them Sasuke…" Kakashi started as he looked to the side. "I want you to stay away from them if you can."

"What?" He gasped out, starting to get angry Kakashi would deny him his chance at vengeance.

"Well, their older member took out Sai in one move, and I don't need to tell you how he had been above genin level by now do I? He was a chunin secretly placed on the team to act as a genin for various reasons. If that genin could do that to someone above him in rank then you aren't going to be able to beat him with only a month of training." Kakashi explained before moving on. "As for their Kunoichi, whatever she did to Sakura's face wouldn't heal right and now she's scarred for life. While I know you care little for looks, its highly possible she could change what she used into something fatal. You may end up dying for a single cut if you aren't careful. And then the blond, Naruto. I'm still not sure if he's really related to Yondaime-sama or not but all the evidence currently points to it being a very big possibility. That means Konoha will try something to get him back so you can't kill him. Not only that but after his display against Lee in the preliminaries I know without a doubt that one month of training is not enough for you to beat him. So for your own safety, I want you to avoid them if you can." Kakashi explained as Sasuke growled before thinking to his curse mark.

Maybe with that dark power and his month of training he could over power them.

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Kurotsuchi was waiting at Konoha's main gate with her genin standing next to her waiting as well, though Hikari and Naruto were sitting on the ground relaxing instead of standing. The reason for their waiting was because she had gotten confirmation that her grandfather was going to be arriving shortly. A few jonin and Anbu of Konoha's were also waiting for the Tsuchikage's arrival as Sarutobi had requested a meeting with the man as soon as he arrived. The woman squinted down the main path before grinning as she saw three dots drop out of the sky. Looks like her grandfather went with the flying approach which explained how he made the trip in four days instead of the six it took her and her genin. "Get up, they're coming." The woman ordered to her students as the three dots walked up the path. The pair stood up next to their teammate and sensei as a few of Konoha's jonin noticed and pointed them out to the rest.

"Finally. Waiting was getting boring." Naruto muttered as the three figures got closer to reveal Onoki with his Kage hat on and Deidara and Akatsuchi walking behind him. "Oh sweet, he brought nii-san and nii-chan!" Naruto called out with a grin. Kurotsuchi smirked as the four stepped forward to the gates as the three finally reached the village.

"Good to see you again Oji-sama." She greeted.

"Yo! Nii-san, nii-chan, how've you guys been?" Naruto jumped in as Deidara chuckled.

"Just fine gaki. Congrats on making the finals." The older blond responded as Akatsuchi chuckled.

"We got to fly Naruto. It was great!" Naruto pouted at this as he glanced at the Kage that was busy begin greeted by a couple jonin from Konoha.

"Aw that sucks! I haven't gotten to fly since I was seven!" He whined as the jonin pair followed their Kage as he was being led to the Hokage Tower, Kurotsuchi motioning for her team to follow as well. The Iwa contingent received many shocked and sometimes worried or angry glances as they walked through the streets of Konoha. While not forbidden, most times the Kage of other villages would wait until a couple days before the test to arrive. Onoki however had shown up only a few days after they were announced. Not only that but tension between the two villages was still high from the Third war. As such a few of the older Shinobi were tempted to attack but didn't because they knew it would both fail and bring about a new war that they didn't want to go through.

Another thing that got attention was Naruto. After the prelims were over the boy had stopped wearing his hood, even changing back to his normal hoodless jacket instead. People that had seen him around the village during the few days hadn't paid him much mind, thinking he was a Yamanaka that had styled his hair after the Yondaime like a couple others had over the years. However now that they were seeing him with the Iwa group they were getting a closer look at him and many were wondering why a Yondaime look alike would be with the biggest Yondaime hating village. Not only that but they were wondering who he was in the first place to look so much like their fallen Kage.

The group was led to the Hokage Tower without incident other than a single older jonin shouting for them to 'go to hell'. Konoha's own Anbu had dragged that man off as the Iwa group just ignored it. As they were led up to the Sandaime's office the group was stopped. "Our apologies, Hokage-sama just wants to see Tsuchikage-sama." The man scoffed and gestured Naruto forward.

"I'm bringing in the boy or there won't be a meeting." He countered as one of the Anbu headed into the office to give the short man's response before walking back out and nodding. "You all may go do as you please. Naruto and I will be fine." Kurotsuchi and Hikari frowned but nodded with the rest as they entered the room to find Sarutobi waiting with his pipe in his mouth and his desk cleared of paperwork. His face was being kept blank but there was no hiding how his eyes were more focused on Naruto than they were on Onoki. As the little Kage took the seat in front of the desk Naruto stood behind him and slightly to the right and waited without a word, though the grin on his face gave Sarutobi many thoughts and ideas as to how they were expecting the meeting to go.

"Hello Tsuchikage-dono. Welcome to Konoha."

"Hmph. Let's cut to the chase Sarutobi. You don't like me and I don't like you so don't try and act like its any different." Sarutobi repressed the urge to sigh or growl but nodded. It would be easier to just cut straight to why the short Kage had come besides to watch his genin. It was the very same reason that stood behind the man with a grin.

The fate of one Namikaze Naruto.