35 Chapter 29: Nominations

So as mentioned in my Maelstrom Siblings fanfic, Geo Soul has a challenge fanfic in the Naruto genre. Please contact them or Jax-mnaught2.0 for more information if you're interested.

Also, either a new guest or the same one decided to leave me a little message about my previous chapter. Here it is: "guest:LOL. You did not refute ANY of the points that anon made. You actually PROVED that Hinata is a useless fangirl. Get over yourself, virgin. Hinata sucks, NaruHina sucks. GTFO and kill yourself."

They then proceeded to anonymously review all of my other fanfics, with pretty much the same message: "go kill yourself, virgin loser". With some variation here and there.

What I find funny about their message up there? I quite clearly refuted all but their last point. So definitely, this is someone who either is the world's biggest idiot, or simple refused to read anything except the one bit I wasn't able to refute. And even then, I pointed out that Hinata's actions are still those of an actual realistic character, and that she still was better than Sakura because unlike Sakura, Hinata at least was there for Naruto at points later on.

*shrugs* If this is how you get your kicks, guest, then go ahead and keep reviewing. Ultimately…I thank you. Why? Because your sad pathetic attempts at having your trollish ways justified simply pads my review counts. I now have +1 review on each of my fanfics you've reviewed. So thank you for that.

I know most of you are asking 'why am I bothering to argue with this person? Shouldn't I just ignore them?' Well…conventional wisdom would say yes. Me? I don't care honestly. If they're going to be cowardly enough to review anonymously, I'm going to expose them to everyone who bothers to read my author notes. Besides, the fact that this troll went and reviewed all my fanfics with the same message just showed I got them riled up. Turned their own game against them.

Anyways, on with the chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively. This is a fan made fanfic created solely for nonprofit enjoyment. Please support the official releases.

Chapter 29

Nominations

Naruto let out a quiet sigh as he slowly sat up in bed, shutting off his alarm clock. Yawning, he slowly got up, stretching and scratching himself as he sleepily went to the bathroom to relieve himself, and then stumbled sleepily to the kitchen to make breakfast.

As he quietly began cooking some eggs and steaming some rice, his eyes drifted to the empty food and water bowl that belonged to Tomo, and he felt the returning ache in his heart, at his currently absent friend and companion. He closed his eyes quietly, remembering when Tomo had left.

Flashback

Naruto shifted a bit nervously as he arrived at the training field with Anko and Tomo, the young fox blinking curiously at Naruto, as if sensing his uneasiness. He was still worried about what the fennec foxes wanted with Tomo, as well as if they'd let him be their summoner.

Taking a deep breath, he began the summoning jutsu again, slamming his hand down, causing a cloud of smoke to appear. Out of it came another fennec fox, larger than the young one he had first summoned the previous day, but still a bit small. Said fennec fox blinked at him, and then disappeared back to its summoning realm in order to inform the leaders of the fennec fox clan.

Within a couple of minutes, Kikite and two other foxes appeared, looking at Naruto. "You've arrived. Did you bring your friend with you?" He asked, only to blink as he heard a soft growling. Glancing down, he saw the caped and hooded fox who was growling softly at the strange new creatures before him. "I take it this is Tomo?"

Naruto nodded as he knelt down, gently touching Tomo's back. "It's okay Tomo. Don't worry," he said, as Tomo whined a bit, slowly settling on his haunches.

Kikite slowly moved to Tomo, and let out a series of soft growls and yips. Tomo began to respond in kind, the two of them conversing with each other. Eventually Kikite moved closer, and began to sniff Tomo, the young fox kit being tense but allowing him. Kikite did so a few times, then gently pressed a paw on top of Tomo's head and to Naruto's surprise, channeled the slightest bit of chakra into Tomo. Tomo's fur began to ruffle and stand on edge, before settling down as Kikite pulled his paw away.

"It is as I thought," Kikite spoke, so Naruto could understand him. "He is one of us."

"He's…a fennec fox?" Naruto asked. Tomo admittedly had long ears similar to the fennec foxes, only narrower. He also had seemed bigger than some of the fennec foxes Naruto had seen.

"He's not a pure fennec fox," Kikite explained. "From time to time, to gain new blood and new abilities into our skulks, fennec foxes will travel into your world here, and they will either impregnate or allow themselves to be impregnated by other foxes they encounter. The parent will stay with their 'mate' long enough to raise the kits to a point where they can fend for themselves. At which point any of the kits that show potential at becoming a member of our skulks are brought back to our realm, to be trained. The other kits are left to grow up and live normal lives here in your world. However, this does mean that, on occasion, those foxes born of such a union but left behind might end up mating with others like them, and their union could spawn a fox kit that has the potential to become part of our skulks. It is very rare that we ever find such kits though, as we do not often enter your world, and only encounter them when seeking new bloodlines. Tomo here has our blood in his veins, though it is diluted somewhat."

Naruto blinked at that. "He's…one of you…a member of your…summoning contract? Your…skulk, you called it?" He asked in astonishment.

"Not my specific skulk, but yes, he is," Kikite said. "Which is why I wish to make an offer, to you and to Tomo here. I would like to bring him back to our realm, to train him. Help him reach his true potential. And when his training is done, we'd like to make him your familiar, if you will."

"Familiar?" Naruto asked in confusion, only for Anko to clarify.

"Summoners often have certain members of their contract they bond with. While they'll be able to summon and work with all the members of a contract who are willing to be summoned or willing to work with the summoner, familiars are specific members of a summoning contract who bond with the summoner, and often are there to help advise their summoner," she said. "Tomo in essence would be your partner once trained."

Naruto glanced down at Tomo, then at Kikite. "How long would he be gone?" He asked quietly, slowly petting Tomo's head.

"It could be some months," Kikite said, seeing the flinch from Naruto as he said those words. "I understand you two have a strong bond, but we can help him reach his true potential. He would not simply be a pet and friend to you then, he'd be an ally to you. You'd even be able to communicate with him in a more meaningful way."

Naruto looked at Tomo, who glanced up at him, tilting his head. "Is…that what you'd like buddy?" He asked softly, gently scratching under Tomo's chin.

Tomo let out a soft whine, and slowly rubbed his head against Naruto's hand, before shuffling over to Kikite, and letting out a small yip. Kikite nodded quietly, before looking to Naruto. "Naruto Uzumaki, Tomo has told me all I've needed to know about you. You showed a great amount of respect and decorum to us when we first met, but hearing what you did for Tomo has made my decision easy. We accept you as our summoner, and will gladly give you our aid. Do you accept us as your contract?"

Naruto looked at Tomo, then at Kikite. "…yes, I do," he said softly. "You honor me with your acceptance."

Kikite bowed his head. "We will take care of Tomo, and soon enough, we will return to you, Naruto," he said quietly.

Naruto just nodded, before looking to Tomo, who was sitting there, his ears lowered. "Goodbye Tomo," Naruto said quietly, before the fennec foxes, with Tomo, disappeared.

Flashback Ends

Since then, Naruto had been training alongside some of the other fennec foxes to understand what they were capable of. The majority of those that had been trained were highly skilled at gathering intelligence, reconnoitering enemy positions or unfamiliar terrain, and illusionary techniques. Some of the bigger, more powerful ones were also skilled in close quarters fighting as well as utilizing elemental ninjutsu, though they were few in number compared to the rest. Overall though, Naruto and Anko both felt that the fennec foxes fit into an excellent support role for Naruto and the rest of the team, acting as a reconnaissance and intelligence gathering force. They could gather intel for the team to then use in their strikes against their targets, helping both Ino and Hinata out on that front.

It still hurt though, waking each morning and not finding Tomo there, as they had been together for quite some time. But Naruto knew that not only would Tomo return, but also that this was for the best. Tomo would be with his own kind, and would become stronger for it.

Letting out a sigh, he finished making his breakfast, and sat down to eat.

Anko meanwhile was groaning, her head on Raphael's desk in the Assassin warehouse, with reports scattered around her. She just lay there, groaning, as Yugito and Kiseki both watched with grins.

"How long has she been like this?" Kiseki asked with a grin.

"She was like this when I got here. That was over an hour ago," Yugito said, as she slowly leaned forward, poking the top of Anko's head, with Anko half –heartedly trying to swat her hand away. "Awww, you okay there?" Yugito asked in a mock tone of concern.

"Too…much…paperwork," Anko said with a groan, her voice muffled, before she turned to look up at the pair of them. "Raphael is sooooooo going to pay when he gets back for leaving me with all this," she growled softly, finally sitting up.

"Read anything interesting?" Kiseki asked, leaning forward to peel one report off Anko's cheek, as she became more serious, starting to organize the reports.

"At the moment, not a whole lot. Our friends in Suna have mentioned there have been strange mobilizations of late with their shinobi, and apparently there's still some minor rumblings of discontent in Tetsu no Kuni, but otherwise, nothing," Anko said, organizing the reports.

"And any news from Raphael-san?" Yugito asked, as Anko shook her head.

"Not since he said he and Mukei were going after that bandit group in Cha no Kuni (Land of Tea). Course not expecting anything until they're done," Anko said, leaning back. "I'm just so bored and tired of dealing with all this paperwork. Now I know how Hokage-sama feels," she muttered.

"Well I'm sure it won't be for much longer, Anko-san. Now shouldn't you be going to meet up with your team for training?" Kiseki asked, as Anko glanced up.

"Huh…what time is it?!" She yelled, shooting up and looking at the nearby clock. Cursing she hastily organized the reports. "You two don't mess anything up! I mean it!" she shouted, racing out of the warehouse in a blur as the two kunoichi just blinked at her sudden departure. They both looked at each other, and then grinned, shaking their heads at Anko's actions.

Meanwhile, Hinata and Ino were busy training as they waited for Anko and Naruto to arrive. Currently they were both working on their marksmanship, both firing from various locations and stances within their weapons' effective ranges. Their targets were shaped like humans, with vital spots marked with small bull's-eyes, and were currently perforated with arrows and senbon.

Hinata grinned softly, watching Ino practice with her senbon. Her Yamanaka teammate had become more focused since their mission to Nami. While initially being a bit withdrawn and quiet following their return from Nami, a combination of time spent with her friends, teammates, and family had helped Ino and Sakura come to full terms with what they had experienced in Nami. Both kunoichi were now more focused on their training, with Sakura working alongside Sasuke while Ino worked with her team.

Ino grinned as she saw her senbon imbed into the target at the appropriate spots. "Alright!" She said with a grin, turning with a beaming smile to Hinata. "I'm five for five. Can you beat that?" She asked.

Hinata, raising an eyebrow, pulled out her bow, moved to a nearby tree, and hopped up onto a branch, sitting with her back to the target. Taking a breath while she drew an arrow from the storage seal on the bow, she nocked it, took another deep breath, and then leaned back, locking her legs on the branch while aiming and firing while upside in a matter of seconds. The arrow easily impacted against the target, dead center between the 'eyes' as Hinata smirked, dropping down.

Ino stared before pouting. "Well…try doing that five times in a row," she said, arms crossed, as Hinata just kept grinning.

At that moment, Naruto appeared through the trees, approaching them, while Anko leapt out of another tree and landed opposite them. Hinata smirked a bit. "You're late sensei," she said, as Naruto joined them.

"Yeah well you try handling paperwork all night long and see how you like it," Anko said childishly, sticking out her tongue, as Hinata snickered. Hinata's good mood vanished though as she saw Naruto, due to him still looking a bit dispirited. She knew it was hard on him, not having Tomo around since Tomo had been a big part of his life, and his first real friend. She had done her best to help him out, to cheer him up, but she knew it was still hard on him.

Anko, seeing Naruto's mood, decided to quickly get his attention elsewhere. "Right then. So here is what's going down today. Hokage-sama told us he would likely be calling a meeting of the jounin sensei today, so it's training only. I want you three to spar with each other, wake yourselves up. Weapons and taijutsu only."

The trio nodded, as they quickly moved out to form a triangle, looking at each other as they did. Naruto slowly drew the ninjato from the back sheathe, holding it at the ready, as Hinata drew her own short curved sword from the scabbard at her side, and Ino unwounded the kusarigama chain from around her waist while pulling the karma part from the belt loop she sheathed it in, slowly spinning the weighted end as she watched her teammates.

Anko nodded as she watched the trio, and grinned. "Begin!" She commanded.

The trio didn't rush in though, instead each of them began slowly side stepping and watching each other, waiting for someone to make the first move, or make a misstep. Naruto knew that out of trio, he had the range disadvantage. Hinata had what seemed like a shorter blade than him, but she could easily turn that short blade into a six foot long naginata in an instance, giving her a greater range advantage. And the chain of Ino's kusarigama gave her an even greater range than that. If he wanted to beat them, he'd have to get in close, and even then Hinata could change back to her short sword and fight him at that range.

Ino meanwhile knew that her greatest strength was her weapon's range. Her taijutsu wasn't nearly as good as Naruto or Hinata's, so her best bet was to keep them at range and try to get them to fight each other, before taking out the winner. She would be able to more easily disarm Hinata if she was using her naginata, but Hinata would be an agile and hard to hit target without it. Naruto meanwhile could more easily deflect her weapon if it came down to a fight between them.

Hinata meanwhile knew she had both the biggest advantage, but also disadvantage. Taijutsu wise, she was perhaps the best on the team, since she could easily dance around and disable both Naruto and Ino in a taijutsu fight. Weapon wise, she had an excellent weapon that could be used to outrange Naruto, and if she was lucky, disarm Ino, but could also shrink to a closer range weapon if she had to deal in close range combat. The disadvantage simply was that her weapon did mean she had to shift between styles at a moment's notice, or be overwhelmed before she could get her weapon and fighting style into the proper configuration. Complexity was her enemy here.

Naruto made a sudden feint towards Hinata before going after Ino, who launched the weighted end of her chain towards him, causing him to flick his sword up and deflect the weight to one side, instantly raising and blocking an overhead slash from behind by Hinata who was using her sword in its naginata form. He rolled to one side, as Ino threw her chain at Hinata, who dodged it to one side, and slashed downwards at Naruto, forcing him to parry and move back out of her range.

The trio broke, and began to circle again. Watching each other as they readied themselves for the next round of conflict. After a few moments, Ino was the one to start things off, surprising them when she dropped the chain long enough to flash one hand out, throwing a couple of senbon hidden up her sleeve at Hinata. Hinata barely dodged one of them, the other sticking into her arm and making her wince, as Ino quickly kicked her chain back up to her hand, only to find Naruto on her already, sword flashing down at her. Ino blocked with the kama of her kusarigama, quickly trying to back up, only for Naruto to keep pressing her, while Hinata removed the senbon needles carefully and charged after them.

Anko watched as the trio continued their fight, nodding approvingly as she did. They were coming along nicely, each of them showing great skill with their weapons. There was obviously lots of room for improvement, as they were still genin and relatively inexperienced, only having six months as fully ranked shinobi. But they definitely were coming along quite nicely, and probably were the best out of the current genin team. 'Heh, take that Hatake,' she thought a bit spitefully.

Meanwhile, Kakashi himself was watching his team as they currently were doing some team building exercises. It was sadly still the one area his team was lacking in, at least in his belief. Kiba and Sasuke had developed a friendly rivalry of sorts that led to them both pushing each other to grow stronger, and this he was hoping for originally with Naruto on the team. Thankfully Kiba fulfilled that roll. The problem was that Kiba seemed to have no real relationship towards Sakura beyond them being on the same genin team. Kiba was willing to protect Sakura, as she was part of 'his' pack, but he seemed uninterested in doing anything else beyond working with her. However, since the mission to Nami, he had noticed that Sakura and Sasuke were working together, and the girl had been steadily improving.

Still, he knew that their teamwork was below what it should be, even with the extra work the Academy had done in emphasizing teamwork amongst its students. He needed to get Kiba more invested in working alongside Sakura. He mused over the problem as he read his book, glancing up at them occasionally as they worked together on the exercise, a combination of chakra control and teamwork exercise where they had to stand in a circle, hands held out to each other. They each had a large piece of paper placed over the fingertips of their hands, positioned in such a way that the pieces of paper were balanced on them and their partner's hand. They had to use their chakra to keep the paper floating just above their fingertips, without shooting it off into the air or allowing it to fall to the ground. As such, each team member had to work to regulate their chakra with their teammates, so that all three pieces of paper continued to gently float in the air.

As he watched them, he quietly mused about the upcoming Chuunin Exams. He knew that Hokage-sama would be calling the various jounin instructors to his office at some point, to discuss whose teams would be nominated for joining the Chuunin Exams. Despite knowing his team was not exactly up to their full potential, Kakashi was considering nominating his team, as it would perhaps help push their teamwork further, as well as give them a taste of combat against shinobi around their skill range from other villages. Valuable lessons he thought they needed, to become true skilled shinobi. He was sure that Kiba and Sakura would survive, and Sasuke would probably even get to the Finals. He was the best of his year group, and if he faced off against Naruto, he wouldn't have to hold back nearly as much as he did in their spar back in Nami. Kakashi smirked, thinking of how Sasuke could even be promoted, and he could get Naruto transferred to his team, once Naruto saw how truly behind he was with Anko as his sensei. Everyone would win, except for Anko. Smiling, he went back to reading his book, waiting for when Sarutobi summoned them to nominate teams.

Middle of the Eastern Ocean

Roughly between Mizu no Kuni and the mainland of the Elemental Nations, a warship of the Mizu no Kuni's navy was chasing down a smaller ship, its forward mounted ballista armed and currently ready to fire at the ship they were chasing. The captain of the Mizu ship, one Mochitsura Genda, smirked as his second in command hailed the ship, ordering them to heave to and prepare to be boarded. Mochitsura was a captain of good standing within the Mizu Daimyo's navy, and was in line to soon be promoted to an admiral. He was in charge of one of the faster ships of the Mizu navy, stationed in the western waters where his warship, the Kuro-Ookami (Black Wolf), patrolled for pirates and smugglers. However, what the people didn't know was that Mochitsura and his crew was among the most cutthroat of pirates in the Eastern Ocean. Mochitsura would often use his position to find out about valuable cargo shipments bound to Mizu or the other island nations in the Eastern Ocean. Depending on who the ships belonged to, their destination, and their valuables, he would either intercept before they reached their destination, or afterwards, when they were on their return trip to their home ports. He would then board them, declaring that he had evidence they were engaged in smuggling operations, and after finding 'evidence' of their crimes, he would promptly take their money or valuables, execute the crew, and sink the ship, leaving behind no evidence of his involvement. If the ship had been carrying money after its successful trade mission, that money would be divided amongst the crew, with a large portion going into Mochitsura's pocket. If the ship was carrying valuable goods, Mochitsura would take the goods, and have them sold at a profit through illegal contacts he had made in Mizu and the other islands around Mizu.

Currently, acting on information he had learned, he was going after a small merchant vessel that was reported carrying a large amount of gold bullion back to Hi no Kuni, payment for bringing valuable minerals and crafting materials to Cha no Kuni.

Ahead, he could see the ship obeying the orders of his second in command, and was heaving to; its sails slackening as the crew onboard the ship seemed to be worriedly watching the incoming warship. Mochitsura smiled, already envisioning the large payday he was about to receive, as his men prepared to board the ship. His eyes narrowed though as he saw the man at the helm, taking in his appearance. He seemed to be wearing some type of long coat, with leather armor pieces strapped to his shoulders and forearms, as well as a hood of all things over his head. The leather armor on his shoulders had belts running down diagonally across his chest and back, with a pair of katana strapped to his sides. The man suddenly turned, and Mochitsura's eyes widened as he saw the man had two small one handed crossbows strapped to his chest. And suddenly he felt a sense of foreboding, as his ship pulled alongside the merchant vessel.

That sense of foreboding turned out to be prophetic, as the hooded man gave a shout, and suddenly a series of ballista and scorpions were revealed from beneath tarps or hidden panels in the hull. A volley of bolts and large stones were blasted point blank range into the hull of the Kuro-Ookami, ripping large holes in the hull. Other's swept the deck, injuring or killing several of his crew and destroying a couple of the ballista mounted on the side. At the same time, the crew of the merchant vessel let out a bloodthirsty roar, as more appeared on deck, all of them armed to the teeth. Grapnels flew through the air, securing the Kuro-Ookami and keeping it from fleeing, as another volley of bolts and stones swept the main deck, killing more of the crew. Then in a flash the armed merchants swarmed over the side, throwing themselves at Mochitsura's stunned crew.

Cursing, the military captain drew his sword and prepared to rush down to direct his crew when a crossbow bolt flew right across his face, narrowly missing his nose. He turned to see the hooded man toss aside one of his crossbows and swing across on a rope, coming for him. As the hooded man landed, Mochitsura lunged at him with his sword, only to be blocked by one of the man's katana. "You dare attack my ship?!" Mochitsura demanded, slashing down wildly at the hooded man.

The hooded man merely grinned as he easily parried the blow and gave a quick slash with his own sword, lightly drawing blood from Mochitsura's arm. "Only because you were going to attack mine first," he said tauntingly, striking out again, as Mochitsura barely blocked in time. "If you'd like to surrender, I'll happily accept it," he said with that taunting grin, making Mochitsura growl in rage.

The two continued to fight, even as on the deck, the crew of the Kuro-Ookami was faltering. They had lost a number of their crew to the two initial volleys, and were taken surprise by the sudden charge. Despite being trained sailors and soldiers, they had never engaged in any real fighting before, having mostly dealt with lightly armed merchant vessels with civilian crews. These men they were fighting were obviously skilled fighters and killers. Especially the crazed woman who was leading them, grinning with shark like teeth as her twin short swords cut open a man's stomach, spilling his guts upon the deck.

Mochitsura grunted as he blocked another blow from his opponent, trying to drive the man's sword down into the deck where he could kick it away. His tactic failed, as while the hooded man's sword was driven down, he received a left cross across the face from his opponent, staggering Mochitsura back as the man quickly stepped in, taking advantage of this opening. Mochitsura had barely turned when he felt the cold steel of the man's sword run through his stomach, pinning him to the helm of his ship.

He could only gape, staring at the man who had so effortlessly killed him, before suddenly vomiting up blood, as he felt his limbs start to go numb. He felt his head being lifted up by the hooded man's right hand, so he looked into his killer's eyes. The hooded man slowly raised his left hand, extending a metal blade attached to the underside of the bracer he wore on that arm. "May you find peace in the unending oceans, and may you find forgiveness in the afterlife," the man intoned, before stabbing forward, driving the blade into Mochitsura's throat. The last thing Mochitsura heard was "Rest in peace," before all went dark.

Mukei slowly stepped back, drawing his sword from the dead captain's stomach, and cleaning it on the man's coat, before turning to the deck. The survivors of the Kuro-Ookami's crew had already thrown down their arms, and now were forced kneeling onto the deck of the ship. "Ameyuri, how we doing?" He asked.

"Ships secure captain! About ten wounded, three dead," Ameyuri Ringo said, saluting Mukei, who nodded a bit sadly while lowering his hood.

"I see…get our wounded back to the Same, and see to it the dead are prepared for a proper burial. Take everything of value off this ship," he ordered, while moving down to the deck to stand in front of the captured crew. Looking them over, he nodded quietly. "Listen well, all of you. Your captain's dead, and your reign of terrorizing innocent merchant vessels is over. By rights, we should kill all of you now for taking part in your captain's scheme. But unlike you, we're merciful. You'll be given enough provisions to get back to Mizu no Kuni, and put into your ship's rafts to row back to Mizu no Kuni. There, you're going to confess to your sins and the sins of your captain, and face punishment for what you've done. If you don't…we will find out. And we will find you. Do you understand me?!"

As the defeated crew hastily agreed, Mukei nodded. "Put them in their boats with the supplies they need. Then once they're clear and we're done stripping this ship…burn it," he said.

As his crew set to work, Mukei returned over the now set gangplank to the Ru-Same. He moved back to the helm, leaning against it before glancing up at a second hooded figure. "Well? How did I do?" He asked.

Raphael nodded quietly. "Admittedly, it would have been better to wait till he docked and taken him out there, but I found your use of deception well done," he said before looking at the three bodies being brought over. "I'm sorry about your crewmen."

"Yeah…but they know what they're getting into. This life is not one for those who are afraid to die," Mukei said, letting out a quiet sigh. "Still…they died helping stop a pirate hiding behind the authority of the daimyo of Mizu no Kuni. So at least that'll mean something."

Raphael nodded, before looking at Mukei. "…I've seen enough to know you'll make it as an Assassin," he said. "Normally, this would mean a whole ceremony back at our headquarters, with your fellow Assassins and Assassin recruits there to witness as you rise to the rank of Assassin. But considering that means getting all the way back to Konoha, and I don't want to take you too far from your duties here in the east, we'll hold a small ceremony after we land in Hi no Kuni."

"So I pass?" Mukei asked with a grin.

Raphael nodded with a grin of his own. "Indeed. Welcome to the Brotherhood, Mukei," he said, shaking Mukei's hand.

Mukei shook Raphael's hand, and then turned to watch his men. "Thank you for this, Raphael. I just hope I can prove worthy of the trust you're giving me," he said. "I've had vengeance in my heart for a long time. It'll be nice to help people for…well I'm hoping the right reasons," he said.

Raphael let out a quiet sigh. "It is tough to know if what we are doing is what's right," he said quietly. "While it is easy to say that the actions of someone like Gato or our friend Mochitsura were those of evil or dark men and that by stopping them we are doing good, there are others out there where their actions, and our reactions, fall into a gray area. The best we can do is hope that we are helping the people, and continuing to protect the freedom and safety they choose to allow themselves to have."

Mukei nodded quietly, looking up at the sky. After a few moments silence, he looked back at Raphael. "I take it you'll be heading back to Konoha now that my training is done?"

The Assassin mentor gave a nod of confirmation. "Your training, for the most part is complete. You had most of the necessary practical skills, and I've taught you what you need. All that's left is for you to continue thinking on what I've taught you, and piecing together what it means to you. And to continue honing your skills. Besides, I'm betting Anko is chomping at the bit for me to return and liberate her from the paperwork," he said with a chuckle.

Mukei grinned at that. "Then we'll get you back to Hi no Kuni as quickly as possible," he said, standing straight. "All hands, move sharp now! I want to be away as quickly as possible!" he yelled to the crew, who were still moving provisions and equipment to the ship, while the Ookami's crew was put into lifeboats with supplies and forced to row away.

Roughly a half hour later, the Ru-Same was sailing west, leaving behind the burning and slowly sinking wreckage of the Mizu no Kuni warship.

Hokage's Office, Konoha

The aged Sandaime Hokage quietly looked over the report before him, before letting out a tired nod. It was finally time. The last of the reports had arrived from the various villages that were sending teams to the Chuunin exams. Since the exams were taking place in Konoha, the other villages who were participating this year were required to send reports ahead of time on the number of teams they were sending, so that Konoha could ascertain that the correct number of foreign shinobi were arriving, and no more than that. It was the same for every village when it was their turn to host the Chuunin Exams.

Sarutobi quietly looked over the numbers before him. Konoha would have the highest number of teams entering, mostly because the exams were taking place in Konoha and it was much easier for them to enter their teams. However, there were several teams from the smaller villages such as Kusa and Hoshi, as well as at least five teams from Iwa. Kiri was not sending any teams, but the civil war they were in the middle of was the obvious reason as to why. What was surprising though were the reports from Kumo and Suna.

Since the Hyuuga incident, Kumo had not sent a single team to any of the Chuunin Exams hosted in Konoha, until now. There were two registered teams of Kumo genin that would be participating this year. Suna, Konoha's ally, was only sending one single genin team, which was surprising to Sarutobi. Then again, Suna was suffering an economic downturn, thanks to their Daimyo. The Daimyo of Kaze no Kuni had been apparently offended by Suna's Kazekage recently, and as such had been punishing the village by sending missions to Konoha instead of Suna. Sarutobi had attempted to negotiate with the Daimyo to cease this, but actions from Danzou, as well as the Kaze Daimyo's stubbornness, had led to his pleas falling on deaf ears. Sarutobi could only hope Konoha's ally was not considering ending their alliance.

Either way, with the foreign matters handled, it was now time for his jounin to nominate their genin for the Exams. Summoning one of his ANBU, he told them to relay the message to the messenger hawk unit, to signal the various jounin in Konoha. And then he waited quietly, for them to arrive.

At Team Eight's training ground, Hinata currently was engaged against Ino in hand to hand combat. Ino had successfully removed Hinata's weapon from her hands, but that had led to Hinata getting up close with a mixture of taijutsu and her hidden blades. Which made the situation worse for Ino, since taijutsu was not quite her strong point. She was much better at range with her kusarigama, her senbon, and her family's techniques.

However, Naruto was still in the fight as well, forcing Hinata to divide her attention between fighting Ino and fighting him. He was still using his sword, but Hinata was effectively using her hidden blades to deflect his attacks, or getting in close and using her hands to redirect or catch his arms, to divert or stop his blows. However, she'd then immediately turn to stop Ino from retreating as well, thus allowing her to effectively control the fight despite being in a pseudo two on one fight.

Anko was watching and nodding her head in approval, only to stop as she heard a familiar cry from above. Glancing up and seeing a messenger hawk wheeling in the skies above Konoha, she tensed slightly, before nodding. "Alright, pack it in!" she called, drawing their attention.

As they all stopped and turned to her, Anko walked towards them. "You're all doing well, but I want you to also work on double teaming each other. Run some drills of two on one fighting, get used to fighting that way, and keep alternating it. I've got a meeting I need to go to with Hokage-sama. I'll be back later," she said.

As they all nodded in understanding, she disappeared in a shunshin.

With Team Ten and Team Seven, the same thing happened. Asuma and Kakashi both glanced up at the hawk's cry, and after giving their teams orders, disappeared as well. Almost as soon as Asuma was gone, Shikamaru slumped down onto the ground, sighing. "Man, this is such a drag," he muttered. "You notice Asuma-sensei has been pushing us a lot recently?"

Chouji, who pulled out a bag of chips and began eating, nodded. "Yeah. I wonder why?" He asked, munching on some of the chips.

It was Shino, who was studying a small insect and communicating with it through his beetles, who answered. "The most logical answer is the upcoming Chuunin Exams," he stated in his quiet, monotone voice. "It was the appropriate time for them to be held again, and the rotation cycle would indicate that Konoha will be next to host them. Likely Hokage-sama wishes to speak to our senseis about the events."

Shikamaru just let out another tired sigh, staring at the clouds. "Well that's just great," he murmured, closing his eyes for a few moments.

Shikamaru had to admit, Shino was quite an asset to the team. Back before they were assigned teams, he had assumed that he'd be on a team with both Ino and Chouji, like their fathers were. Their fathers had been a powerful, nearly unstoppable team, and so they'd probably want to recreate that with the current generation. Yet surprisingly, Ino had gone to a different team, and instead, they got Shino. Yet when Shikamaru heard Asuma's explanation, he understood the argument. Their dads were well known, and likely the major villages had studied ways to try and disrupt their combined abilities. If they had found ways and taught them to their shinobi, then Team Ten would have been in serious trouble, having nowhere near the level of skill or teamwork their fathers had.

With Shino, they threw off the enemies' plans, as Shino fought in a completely different manner from how Ino would have. And the team's dynamics had changed to a degree because of it as well. And Shikamaru had to admit, Shino was a good asset to the team. He was a logical thinker, who could be counted on to add his own opinion or views to Shikamaru's plans, allowing Shikamaru to see flaws he missed, or offer alternative solutions. He also was not loud or energetic like Ino, which suited Shikamaru fine. It meant that he could relax and enjoy the clouds more. However, Shino in his own way still pushed the team. It was just in a way that Shikamaru and Chouji could accept more.

Glancing at Chouji, Shikamaru was reminded of how much the large boy had been spending time with Ino, following the return of her team and Team Seven from Nami. Ino had been scarred by what she had seen and done in Nami, and he and Chouji had spent time with her, helping her to heal, along with her teammates and sensei and father. Even afterwards though, Ino and Chouji had spent a fair amount of time together, just talking and walking through the village. Shikamaru didn't have to be a genius to recognize the fact that his friend probably had a crush on the blonde girl. Mentally shrugging, he returned to watching the clouds, re-affirming his decision not to say or do anything regarding it unless absolutely necessary. It'd be too much of a drag to do so.

Elsewhere, Gai also heard the cry of the hawk, and looked to his team, watching them currently training. Neji Hyuuga, now clad in a bulky white short sleeved top with a high collar and straps securing the front, as well as dark brown shorts and bandages covering his right arm and leg, was standing in the opening, training to further extend the range and focus of his Byakugan. Tenten, clad in a sleeveless pink Chinese style shirt, green puffy pants, and her traditional twin bun hairstyle, was practicing throwing weapons with amazing accuracy at a number of moving targets. While Lee was currently in the middle of a taijutsu spar with Yakumo, who had become an almost unofficial member of Team Nine while they were training. He turned to Kurenai, who was there to oversee Yakumo's physical training. "Kurenai-san, would you mind watching over all their training while I go to the meeting with Hokage-sama?" He asked her, to which she nodded.

"No problem," she said, blinking as he gave her his infamous smile.

"Yosh! Thank you for your youthful assistance Kurenai-san!" he said, before turning to his genin. "Team Nine, I have to go attend a meeting with Hokage-sama. Kurenai-san will continue to oversee your training, until I return. Good luck!" He said, disappearing in a shunshin.

Lee watched his sensei leave, before smiling at Yakumo. "Yosh! Let us continue training!" He said to her with his usual bright grin. Yakumo nodded, readying herself for the next exercise, while trying not to blush from Lee's smile. Yakumo couldn't help but feel…well she wanted to say it was admiration, but if she was truthful, she felt affection for Lee. He was always so bright and positive and helpful, and made her feel like she could really do it. Like she could accomplish her dream, even when she felt her own strength and confidence failing. She had a crush on him, though she had said nothing to him about it, because she didn't want to make things weird, and she also…well she felt like she wasn't good enough for him. Even if she had grown physically stronger, she was still weak in musculature and stamina compared to him. And she felt like he gave her so much and she wasn't able to give anything back. Not to mention she honestly had no experience with dealing with people socially on this level, so she had no idea what to do or say.

Shaking her head, she returned to training with him, vowing that one day she'd prove herself worthy of him, and then…if she wasn't too late, she would try to confess her true feelings to him.

In the Hokage's Office, Sarutobi watched as the various jounin sensei appeared before him, before quietly puffing on his pipe. As the last one arrived, he began. "I'm sure you're all aware, but the time of the next Chuunin Exams is upon us. I have received the final lists of foreign teams that will be participating this year, so now, it is time to nominate which genin teams will be taking part in this exam," he stated, looking to each of the jounin. "So, I will now hear who wishes to nominate their teams for the Chuunin Exams."

Almost immediately, Kakashi Hatake stepped forward. "I am Kakashi Hatake, jounin sensei of genin Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka. I nominate Team Seven for the Chuunin Exams," he stated with a hint of pride in his tone as he spoke the ritual nomination statement.

Asuma followed, stepping forward to make his own nomination. "I am Asuma Sarutobi, jounin sensei of genin Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akamichi, and Shino Aburame. I nominate Team Ten for the Chuunin Exams," Asuma stated as well.

Most of the jounin were muttering quietly. It was quite uncommon for a relatively raw genin team to be nominated for the Chuunin exams, let alone two. They all glanced at Anko, the only other sensei of a genin rookie team.

Anko, with a grin, stepped forward. "I am Anko Mitarashi, jounin sensei of genin Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Mitarashi, and Ino Yamanaka. I nominate Team Eight for the Chuunin Exams," she said.

At that moment, the figure sitting next to Sarutobi stood up. "Hokage-sama, I wish to offer my concerns on allowing those three teams to participate in the Chuunin Exams," Iruka Umino, acting as the Hokage's assistant for this meeting, said. "Those nine genin are still relatively new to being shinobi, with only six months of experience under their belts. The Chuunin Exams might be too much for them," he said, voicing his concern.

Unfortunately, some did not see it that way. Kakashi simply gave him a lazy look. "I do not see how that is any of your concern, chuunin," he said. "They are not your students anymore, they are our soldiers. We know what's best for them," he said.

Iruka glared at him. "Do you really, Hatake-san?" Iruka all but spat out. "You who have spent only six months with them, after you did your best to fail them because you didn't get the team you wanted? I taught them for three years, and I got to know them. While they might have grown some since their time at the Academy, can you really tell me they've grown enough to take the Chuunin Exams? There are shinobi who train for years before taking it and they still fail, they still die. These kids are still young, and this could destroy them."

"When I was their age I was already a jounin," Kakashi said simply, as Iruka glared at him.

"They aren't you, Hatake-san! And I thank whatever merciful deity that has kept them from being so," Iruka said, causing Kakashi to glare, only for Anko to step in.

"Whoa, easy there tiger," she said with a grin to Iruka. 'Yugito's right, he's got a fire in him when it comes to his students,' she thought, watching him. "I get that you're protective of them, but we wouldn't just push them into a situation they can't handle. Well…I at least wouldn't," she said, taking a shot at Kakashi. "You have to have some faith in them, like we do. We've seen what our genin can do, and we know their current limits. If I didn't think my team could give a good showing and survive, I wouldn't be putting them into the exams. But I've got faith in them."

Iruka was about to speak, when he was stopped by Sarutobi. "I thank you for your input Iruka, and will take your caution under advisement. Now, shall we continue the nominations?"

"Yosh! If my eternal rival is entering his team, then I will surely do the same!" Gai said with a grin, stepping forward. "I am Maito Gai, jounin sensei of genin Neji Hyuuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee. I nominate Team Nine for the Chuunin exams," he said, giving off his pearly white smile as he finished.

Sarutobi let out a sigh. "Thank you Gai-san," he said, slightly unsettled by Gai's energy and smile.

As Gai stepped back into line, he grinned at Kakashi. "While I applaud your bravado, my eternal rival, I will say that with my team in the Exams, your team doesn't have a chance. I waited a whole year and a half to make sure my team received the best training, before nominating them for an exam," he said with confidence.

Kakashi just mentally rolled his eyes while not even looking at Gai. "Hmmm, you say something Gai-san?" He asked.

Sarutobi let out a mental groan, taking a large puff of his pipe as he heard Gai ranting about his 'eternal rival'. 'Sometimes I wish I had taken Minato's place in sealing away the Kyuubi,' he mentally murmured, tipping his Hokage hat down slightly over his face.

Kumo, Raikage's Office

A looked up at the team of Kumo genin in front of him, the three brightest and best of his village, serving under his own 'brother' Kirabi. He nodded to the Hachibi jinchuuriki before looking to the three genin. "I wanted to speak to you in person, so you understand the importance of your mission. The Chuunin Exams being held in Konoha gives us the perfect opportunity to enact an operation being put together, but to also gain a chance to strike at a defector hiding in Konoha," he stated. "Your team will be entering the Chuunin Exams, both as an attempt to be promoted to chuunin, but also as cover for the chuunin team who will be going with you. They will pose as genin as well, but their objective is to gather intel on Konoha. Your objective is to ensure that at least one of you makes it to the Final round of the Chuunin Exams, to ensure Kumo has a legitimate reason to be in Konoha. When the time comes, we'll be able to enact our plans. Are there any questions?"

"No Raikage-sama," Samui, Karui, and Omoi said as one, leading A to nod.

"Good. Then prepare yourselves for the journey. You'll be leaving shortly," he stated. "And Kirabi? Be extra careful out there," he said.

Kirabi grinned, and started to open his mouth, only to dodge a dumbbell thrown at him. "AND NO RAPPING!" A roared, as Kirabi and his students quickly left. A sighed as he sat down, rubbing his forehead while muttering about his brother, only to grin as he looked at the file before him, labeled 'Operation Blind Eye'.

His spies in Suna had been able to learn an interesting bit of information. Suna's shinobi were starting to mobilize, in numbers that could only mean one thing: war. The timing of their mobilization also coinciding with the approaching Chuunin Exams, and the fact that there were rumors Orochimaru himself had been spotted in the area of Suna, led A to rationalize that Suna was planning something, something that likely would not only take place during the Chuunin exams, but more than likely would take place in Konoha. Especially when he found out that the Kazekage's own son, the jinchuuriki Gaara no Subaku, would be present in the Chuunin Exams. Add in a rogue ninja from Konoha who had a hatred for his old home, and likely it would mean chaos within Konoha. Chaos that would be perfect for him to implement his own plans, and to strike back at Konoha for humiliating him ten years ago with the failed Byakugan retrieval mission, and seven years ago with the assassination of his strategist chuunin and the defection of Yugito to Konoha.

Smiling, he began lifting weights, all the while imagining the satisfaction of outsmarting Konoha.

Well that seems like a good place to stop this chapter.

So, setting up for the Chuunin Exams here. Meant to have a little more, but considering how long this chapter was going, and how long since I last updated it, I figured this would be a good place to stop. Hope you all agree.

Thanks again go out to my beta's Kyuubi123 and Bill Alain for their work in editing my chapter. Thank you so much guys!

Till next chapter! Hope you all enjoy.