Chapter 10

"Morning Shiho-chan," called Naruto as he walked down a hall of the SIPA facility.

"Morning Uzumaki-san," greeted Shiho. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah," said Naruto nervously scratching the back of his head. He looked cautiously at Shiho and her companion, a young man with silver hair and glasses. "But if you're busy I can come back later."

"Nonsense," said Shiho. "Let me get Yakushi-san to his first test and I'll be happy to help you with whatever you need.

"Thanks Shiho-chan," said Naruto with a grateful grin. "I'll be in Atsui-san's office waiting for you."

"Oh," said Shiho. "This must be important."

Naruto nodded once.

"I'll be along shortly," said Shiho. "Let's get a move on Yakushi-san."

Naruto turned and began winding his way through the halls to Atsui's office. He knocked once and entered without waiting for a response.

"Ah," Atsui murmured looking up from the report he was reading. "Uzumaki-san, I've been expecting you. Thought you'd have come sooner though."

"Yeah, I needed a few days after I got back from that mission to get my head right."

Atsui nodded acceptance. "Very well, I assume you told Omeda-san to join us.

Naruto nodded. "She had to take a Yakushi-san to his testing room. She said she'd be here right after."

"Good," said Atsui returning his gaze to the report in front of him.

Naruto knew the man wouldn't speak anymore so he pulled out a book on fuuinjutsu for beginners. It was complex stuff but to him was strangely easier than he expected. Fuuinjutsu seemed to have a hundred things happening at once through all the different pieces of the actual seal. He'd asked Kakashi-sensei about it once and the man said that was almost literally what a seal was doing and when combined with the way he thinks it made sense that Naruto found it easier. The reason most struggle with fuuinjutsu and didn't use it was simply because they couldn't think through the process fast enough to make it viable in combat. It didn't mean they couldn't learn it but were usually very limited. It also helped that Naruto had a creative streak.

There was a single knock at the door signaling Naruto to put his book away.

"Atsui-sama," greeted Shiho as she opened the door and entered taking the seat next to Naruto.

"Good, we're all here," said Atsui. "Uzumaki-san has been advised it is time he begins experimenting in the use of the kyuubi's chakra. We're going to help him with it."

Shiho smiled at Naruto understandingly at seeing his nervousness. "We have prepared a room with seals just for this possibility. We are very excited to study this effect and I'm sure you will be very successful Uzumaki-san."

"Thanks Shiho-chan," said Naruto feeling some relief.

"Lead him down there and start applying the sensors. I'll join you both shortly," advise Atsui looking down at his report once more.

Shiho guided him through the complex and then down some stairs. Naruto did not know there was a lower level so it was something of a shock when he was lead into a large gymnasium-sized room. There was a booth of some kind suspended in the air near one of the walls with what looked like a retractable ladder. The walls, ceiling and floor were covered in seals.

"Wow," said Naruto in awe. "That's a lot of seals."

"We've been working on the construction of this room since your evaluation ended four months ago. It was built specifically so we could study your use of the kyuubi's chakra."

"For me?" asked Naruto surprised.

"You are very special to us scientists," said Shiho.

"So I'm your favorite lab rat?" asked Naruto with a chuckle.

"Yes," Shiho responded flatly trying to hold back her own grin.

Suddenly klaxons began to blare loudly.

"What the hell is that?"

"Please remain calm Uzumaki-san. Some one has violated the building security."

"Someone broke in?" asked Naruto.

"Or someone was a spy and got caught breaking into somewhere they should not have," explained Shiho.

"Let's go," said Naruto with a feral look.

"I am not a very good fighter," said Shiho. "We should leave this to more skilled shinobi."

"Are there any ANBU on station?" asked Naruto.

"Only if they are requested before hand. They are on their way now."

"Then we have a duty to perform as shinobi of Konohagakure," said Naruto simply.

Shiho finally nodded nervously. "I'll follow your lead Uzumaki-san."

Naruto raced out of the room at that point and up the stairs. He kept his speed down to allow Shiho to keep up with him.

"We should check with Atsui-sama first, he should be in charge of coordinating everything here," said Shiho.

Naruto followed her suggestion. When they arrived at his office though things were not good. Atsui was on the floor bleeding and his file cabinets had been forcibly broken open.

"Oh no, the evaluation files," said Shiho with a gasp.

"Shiho, get Atsui-san to medical fast as you can. I've got the scent of the intruder. I'll chase him down and get the files. I'll stop him if I can. Tell ANBU."

Shiho nodded kneeling down next to Atsui and getting to work on trying to stabilize him to move. "Good luck Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned widely at her calling him by his name for a change. He turned to the door and raced out it tracing the scent.

Once out of the building the scent become more dispersed but also strong as in more recent. He was catching up.

Naruto leaped to the room of the SIPA Center and saw the silver-haired shinobi from earlier racing away across the roofs. Either he was also chasing the intruder or he was the intruder.

Naruto crouched slightly before springing into action and chasing after the man. As he got closer to him the scent got stronger meaning he was the intruder and worse, a traitor.

"Futon: daitoppa no jutsu," mumbled Naruto once he was in range and blasted a condensed ball of air hitting the unsuspecting traitor in the back sending the man sprawling across the roof in front of him and then falling onto the street below.

Naruto was on him immediately. "Everyone clear out! A traitor to the leaf is trying to escape!" he shouted as he landed in the slightly crowded street. Instantly the civilians began to scatter or go inside their businesses. Naruto knew the traitor would not want to get stuck inside one of the buildings where he'd be trapped until the ANBU could fully investigate everyone present once they arrived. That meant the traitor would be trying to flee on the street. The limping homeless girl gave it away as Naruto threw a few kunai near her in an attempt to startle her into revealing that she was in fact the traitor.

The girl jumped up on to the wall and smirked as she dropped the henge. "I'm impressed." He then ran a few quick hand seals putting Naruto on edge only for the man's hands to glow green and heal his ankle.

"Traitor," spat Naruto angrily.

"I admit," said the Yakushi boy. "I did not plan to have my cover revealed so soon but getting this kind of intelligence could not be forgone."

"And who do you work for?" asked Naruto as he circled around the man. "Another traitor, Kumo, Iwa?"

"Who I work for matters not. You getting out of here alive for slowing me down does."

The action was fast as the man threw a large spread of senbon forcing Naruto back and away. It gave the man just enough time to spring back onto the roof and try to run again.

Up on the roof though Naruto had clones waiting. Yakushi took two fists to his stomach knocking him back into the street and into a binding seal Naruto had very quickly inscribed.

"A binding seal," said Yakushi surprised. "And so fast. Maybe you're not the talentless dead last we were lead to believe."

Naruto sneered as he created a few clones to trap the man inside an additional barrier.

"The problem is you think you're dealing with a genin like yourself," said Yakushi with a smirk as the seal below him fizzled out.

"Heh, that seal wasn't meant to last," said Naruto, "Only to slow you down long enough to imprison you."

Yakushi then did something Naruto was not prepared for:he sunk into the ground.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. His cloned quickly dropped the barrier before spitting out duplicate fist size wind blasts at the ground the man was trying to sink into.

Yakushi quickly jumped clear of the impact point of the wind blasts and back onto the roof. This time though he was prepared for the clones which were quickly eliminated and the chase was back on. This time Yakushi was taking an evasive pattern making Naruto unable to hit him in the back again.

It didn't take long before Naruto was joined by a few ANBU in the chase.

"Uzumaki-san," said the ANBU in a cat mask, "Take a trailing position and provide backup if necessary. We will engage."

"You got it Neko-san," said Naruto with a nod and falling back.

They had finally caught up to the traitor on one of the training fields. The problem being there were five unmarked shinobi waiting for him.

"Eliminate all targets," said the cat-masked ANBU.

Yakushi handed off a scroll to one of the shinobi before standing with the other shinobi.

"Uzumaki-san, recover that intelligence. Lethal force is authorized."

Naruto nodded and chased after the runner as soon as the ANBU engaged the extraction team.

Naruto didn't take long to catch up to the runner and force him to a stop.

"Fucking tree-hugger," spat the shinobi jutting one arm out and unleashing a blast of wind.

Naruto rolled left out of the path and retaliated with his own blast of wind.

The runner ducked under the blast and threw several shuriken to try and force Naruto back.

Naruto frowned annoyed. He shot out four chains of chakra knocking aside the shuriken and attacking the runner.

The runner dodged the first two chains while the third chain pierced straight through his leg pinning him to the ground. The fourth chain finished him piercing his chest and heart killing him instantly. It was a quick death and mostly painless.

Naruto quickly searched the body recovering the scroll and then sealing away the body.

Racing as fast as he could he rushed back to the ANBU to find two of them down but appearing to be breathing while the third was administering aid. It appeared four of the extraction team were dead while the traitor himself and one of the extraction team were gone, either vaporized or escaped.

"Uzumaki-san, help me rush these two to the hospital. Were you successful?"

"I was." said Naruto holding up the scroll. "It was the only one on the body I could find," he said as he pulled out a second scroll.

"Well done," said the cat masked ANBU, "Let's get a move on."

Naruto nodded and picked up one of the ANBU members and followed to the hospital.

BREAK

Sarutobi was livid. A spy in his village had nearly escaped with vital intelligence on his shinobi. His young shinobi. Information like that could have cost those shinobi their lives in the future as it would have spelled out their potential training not to mention giving whatever village they served the knowledge of the SIPA tests. If Iwagakure or Kumokagure were to employ such a system it would take away whatever edge Konohagakure would have gained. He knew the secret could not last forever but he'd be damned if they didn't have to work for that knowledge.

"I want answers," said Sarutobi coldly to the assemble shinobi council.

"He was sponsored years ago by an orphanage in Hi no Kuni we've used in the past," reported Danzo. "The orphanage matron Yakushi Nono is a former shinobi I trained. She recommended him. She found him near a decimated village with no memory."

"And that wasn't suspicious then?"

"His mind was fully scanned for plant details. It came back clean."

"Then he betrayed us of his own accord? I doubt that," said Shikaku with a frown.

"He was a conflict orphan. Showed potential in iryojutsu. Was a rank II certified combat iryonin. There were no signs of his allegiance being in question."

"Six attempts in the chuunin exam and six failures and no one questioned that?" asked an upset Shikaku. "Worse, he was never defeated in the chuunin exam but simply quit. No one recognized this as intelligence gathering on our young shinobi and the young shinobi of other villages? Not to mention when word gets out about Yakushi Kabuto we'll be held responsible for the intelligence on our allies shinobi."

Danzo was livid. Kabuto was one of his finest and now this. How did this happen?

"I want a bounty on his head immediately," said Sarutobi. "Give him an A-rank bounty. I want him dead yesterday."

Every shinobi in the room cringed under the pressure of the old man's killing intent.

"He was also a rank II iryonin meaning he has access to a number of medical files, luckily no ANBU but it is enough to be of great concern," explained Shikaku with a shake of his head.

"Shikaku, you will begin interviews immediately for a replacement to the head of the ANBU corp. This is the single greatest security breach in this village's history. You'll understand if I'm a bit beyond angry about this breach. Do we even know who he was working for?"

Here Danzo frowned even deeper. "I've checked his service records thoroughly. He's had a few encounters with Orochimaru prior to that traitor's exodus that make me... uncomfortable."

Sarutobi's killing intent skyrocketed again. "S-rank bounty, inform all hunter divisions, all allied hunter divisions and every freelance bounty hunter, double if he can be brought in alive."

The room remained silent for minutes before Shikaku spoke.

"At the very least we should be grateful Uzumaki-san was on site when the breach occurred. I've read the report and his performance was exemplary. His delaying tactics were brilliant and he followed pursuit standard operating procedures to delay until assistance arrived. ANBU reported he followed orders without question and pursued the runner while the ANBU engaged the extraction team and was able to recover the stolen intelligence quickly and without any hesitation to eliminate the threat as ordered."

"The after-action psych evaluation came back clean on the kill which is also promising. Granted this isn't his first kill but it was his first one-on-one kill against a shinobi. The kill itself was clean and the target didn't suffer a prolonged or tortured death. If he were not participating in the chuunin exam three weeks from now I would recommend him for a field promotion."

This sent a general murmur through the council, most of it positive.

"In other news, thanks to a number of recent bounties donated to the village we've been able to cut down our debit with the civilian council by six months," said Sarutobi trying to close out the meeting with a more positive tone.

"Who do we have to thank for that blessing?" asked Inoichi all too pleased with the news.

"Team 7," said Sarutobi smirking feeling pleased with the way things had been progressing of late.

"Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Haruno," said Inoichi making sure he remember correctly.

"Correct," said Sarutobi.

"What the hell kind of mission did rookie genin complete that would allow us to pay off that much of the debit?"

"It was a C-rank," said Sarutobi. "It just happened to turn bad in a heartbeat. They managed quite exceptionally well."

"Did it turn into 6 S-rank criminals turning up for bounties?" asked Inoichi.

Sarutobi chuckled, "No, one A-rank, one B-rank and two C-rank. But it was the civilian body that was worth the most."

"Civilian? What civilian is worth that much?"

"Gato, of the Gato Corporation. He was trying to steal a country. So we stole him and donated his entire fortune to Konohagakure," explained Sarutobi with a grin.

"I take it we're not telling the civilian council?"

"Absolutely not," said Shikaku, Sarutobi, Koharu, Danzo, and Homura at the same time.

"The last thing we need is for civilians to think we'd rob them blind only to stage their suicide afterward," explained Shukaku. "None of us like the civilians' interference in shinobi business but we can all acknowledge their value in everything else. Our stores, our forges, our craftsmen, our tailors, our trading, and our restaurants are all run almost exclusively by civilians and report to the civilian council accordingly. They support our needs and in return we protect them. We cannot afford to have them ever question that symbiotic relationship."

"Anyway, everything that needs to be said today has been said. I call this meeting to a close," said Sarutobi standing and walking out of the room.

BREAK

"Let's try this again," called Atsui over a microphone boom in the room made just to train Naruto in the use of kyuubi's chakra. The man was now confined to a wheelchair, at least for the next few months. He'd hired a new personal assistant that had to be the biggest man Naruto had ever seen. It appeared to Naruto, the man, Dai, only had one job and that was to carry Atsui in his chair up and down stairs.

"How exactly do we start?" asked Naruto looking up to the booth in which Atsui, Shiho, and Dai all sat watching him.

"There are three lines of thought on accessing and using bijuu chakra," said Shiho beginning an explanation. "Let me remind you, everything we discuss is classified and not to be shared with anyone."

Naruto nodded at the obvious statement.

"We have acquired the leading documentation and current research on bijuu control from Kumogakure."

Naruto nodded once more understanding that 'acquired' meant stolen, blackmailed, or killed for.

"The first is that the bijuu will usually have an automated defense system wherein they respond in force to eradicate anything that attempts to injure them. While bijuu cannot die if their host dies it takes years for them to reform. As you can imagine they would rather escape as they are almost always granted opportunities to break free. Life-threatening injury is thus one method of drawing out the bijuu chakra. We will not be attempting this method at this time."

Naruto blinked owlishly up at the booth. "Are you nuts? I don't care how desperate we are, I'm not risking my life on something that may not work."

"As I said, we will not be pursuing this method at this time."

"You know 'at this time' is not reassuring!" shouted Naruto.

"The second method is emotional stress which is closely linked to the first method but not nearly as dangerous to your physical health. The threat of death, the loss of a loved one, anger, or hatred. This is the method we believe you first used when you drew on kyuubi's chakra. This method can be a slippery slope wherein if you give in too deeply to emotion the bijuu is more likely to escape or attempt to escape. We will use this method only if the final method fails."

Naruto gave this method some consideration. It made sense to him. He knew what he felt from that chakra the first time he used it. It was dangerous, of that he had no doubt.

"The final method is the most difficult as there are several stages to it. First you have to make contact with your bijuu. The research we acquired states that all jinchuuriki develop what they call a soulscape in which the container is able to converse with the contained. This apparently has many different triggers, the most recommended method is simple meditation with a focus on clearing your mind of all thoughts but of communicating with the bijuu."

"What happens once I can speak to him?"

"It is different for all of the jinchuuriki from what the research tells us. Usually you will appear in some kind of room or building or forest or field or some such place. Once there you will have to find the bijuu and talk to it."

Naruto nodded a few times slowly as he thought over this information.

"Once you have found your bijuu you need to open a dialogue with it."

"What do you mean dialogue? Am I suppose to discuss the weather with the kyuubi?"

"The research tells us that the bijuu is generally very unpleasant. You will most likely argue with it and have to make demands of it. Now, here is the trick. You will have to demand access to it's chakra and it's going to argue with you about it or flat out refuse. What you must remember is that in truth it wants you to use it chakra. The more you use it's chakra the easier it will be to attempt a break out."

"So what? It's an asshole, how is that any different from what I expect of the bastard fox already?"

"Let us start with just getting this far. We can discuss further steps to controlling and using his chakra further once we've gotten this first part down."

"Right, so for now I just have to get him to willingly give me his chakra," said Naruto sitting on the floor and crossing his legs. He was in the center of the sealing matrix already.

"Good luck Uzumaki-san," said Shiho being her normal professional self.

And so Naruto closed his eyes and did his best to focus on meeting the kyuubi.

It took a while but Naruto found himself standing in a tunnel. There were pipes overhead running the length of the hall, often branching off down the various hallways. The floor below him was tiled and slightly cracked. The paint on the walls was while and chipping in some places. There were yellow-orange lights hanging from the ceiling interspersed down the hallway. They flickered occasionally but mostly just hummed with electricity. There was a spurt of steam from one of the pipes ahead of him that startled him slightly.

"So my soul-scape is a tunnel with steam pipes. Not a very nice one either," he spoke aloud to himself. He wondered if it looked like this because of his life, the harsh looks and such. But then things had been so much better lately. Kakashi-sensei was awesome and he spent real time working with him, trying to make him a better shinobi and fix the mistakes from his time in academy. He had some great friends, Sakura-chan, Shiho-chan, and Lee plus he just knew he would make more friends now. Maybe this tunnel was worse before and i was getting better as Naruto had been feeling better and better about his life.

"No sense standing here," said Naruto as he began to wander the tunnels. It felt like hours before he finally came to a widening of the tunnel that emerged into a giant room with a large ornate barred gate stood before him. Over the spot where the key would go was a piece of paper with the kanji for seal.

Behind the bars was darkness and a very foreboding feeling. Two pinprick slits started opening bleeding a red glow.

"So, you've finally shown up," said a deep dark voice with the brightest, sharpest white teeth Naruto had ever seen.

"Yeah," said Naruto not sure what else to say. "So why don't come forward and talk to me?"

Naruto could see a vague shadow shifting in the darkness. Naruto could see the kyuubi's eyes moving as if the beast was standing up. Kyuubi's paws came forward together in a stomp just in front of the cage. Naruto could now make out that the kyuubi was stretching like a cat just getting up from a nap. A very small part of him that he would never acknowledge existed wanted to cry out in a very loud shout of 'kawaii'. Fortunately he was able to squash that impulse immediately or he knew he'd never hear the end of it.

"Oi, boy, come closer," said the kyuubi.

Naruto took a step closer only for the kyuubi to shoot its giant paw forward to impale him on his claws only for Naruto to instinctively have chains shoot up from the floor and pin the kyuubi and his paw bound to the tiled floor.

"Bad fox," said Naruto. If he would have had a spray bottle he would have spritzed the kyuubi in the face. The chains vanished as Naruto chuckled losing his focus momentarily.

Kyuubi growled in what Naruto thought was more of a pout followed by some grumbling as he now stalked back and forth in front of the gate giving Naruto his first full glimpse of the fox.

"Damn you're a bad-ass," said Naruto appreciatively of the fox's size and very clear strength.

Kyuubi paused momentarily in his pacing to look at Naruto piercingly. "And don't you forget it."

Naruto chuckled. "We're a lot alike in that regard. We're both born to be bad-asses."

Kyuubi snorted, "You are not a bad-ass."

"Am too," said Naruto. "If I weren't I would have pissed myself when I first saw you but I didn't did I? Therefore, I'm a bad-ass. Besides, wouldn't you prefer I was a bad-ass? I can't imagine you'd want the other bijuu to think that the container of the kyuubi wasn't the most bad-ass of them all."

Kyuubi paused in his stalking again. He seemed to be contemplating an answer.

"What do you want?" he finally asked.

"I want to be able to use your chakra," said Naruto.

"No, now go away," said the kyuubi.

"No, give me your chakra," said Naruto crossing his arms.

"No, leave."

"No, chakra."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes, I can sit here and argue with you all day you know," said Naruto adamantly.

"So can I," said the kyuubi.

"Oh come on," said Naruto. "Doesn't giving me your chakra make it easier for you to attempt escaping or something?"

"And who told you that?" demanded the kyuubi snarling.

"Not the point," said Naruto redirecting the conversation. "And it will just make me more of a bad-ass."

"Stupid little human," said the kyuubi. "You would seek to use my chakra knowing that I will use your greed to escape."

"It's true, it's a big risk," said Naruto. "But if it means I can protect my village better then I will."

"And when I break free from your stupidity and destroy your village then what? What will you have to say for your greed then?"

"I won't let you," said Naruto as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "I know there's a risk but I'm gonna be more of a bad-ass then you ever were. So I'll stop you. I won't let you escape. But can you honestly tell me it's not worth the risk to you? Would you really rather I not use your chakra and never give you a chance to escape?"

The kyuubi chuckled. "Maybe you're not so stupid after all."

"Things aren't as muddled here as they are out there," said Naruto thoughtfully.

"Foolish little human," said the kyuubi.

"So do we have a deal? You let me use your chakra when I want with the understanding that you will have chance to escape eventually if I abuse your power."

"You have a deal puny human," said the kyuubi with his own chuckle.

"Kyuubi! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it!"

"My name is not kyuubi!" shouted the fox in return.

"Eh?" uttered Naruto, perplexed. "What do you mean your name isn't kyuubi? You have another name? What's your name?"

"Leave!"

"What's your name? I told you mine, it's only fair."

"Leave now before I change my mind!"

Naruto was jostled from that place.

"Well that was interesting," said Naruto, stretching after sitting still for so long.

BREAK

The chuunin exams had finally come. Five months after they became a team the fruits of their labors were going to be tested to see if they were ready for the next level. It had been a month an a half since their return from Nami no Kuni. The first three weeks were all about individual training while the last three were team training focused on combat scenarios they may face during the chuunin exams.

Sasuke's training under Danzo had been intense. Most of it was training him to deal with his rage and anger, teaching him to focus it into his fighting. Specifically when he hit an opponent. The idea was to release that rage and anger when he struck and then to reign it back in immediately following so he could think through his next move. The rage and anger gave his hits a little extra but training to control it made a difference. Beyond that it was more work on using logic and following orders regardless of his feelings. The worst part for him was losing. He was forced to fight dozens of fighters, all of them better than him, some only slightly better, others leagues advanced of him. It was slap in the face as he was forced to realize that there were some better than him, painfully so. He did not enjoy losing and more often than not being injured as a result only to be healed and have it happen again.

Sakura's training was extremely productive. She was now a fully-certified combat iryonin rank I. She had aced her tests. It was truly her proudest moment when she received the results. She'd passed the written portion with a 98% which was really high considering she only needed a 70% to pass. What she was most proud of was the 92% passing grade on the practical exam. She may not be the most capable fighter but she would be damn sure to keep her team alive and fighting as long as she could.

Naruto's time was the most productive. His taijutsu had improved by leaps and bounds since he'd started working with Lee. He may not have had much of a style but his reflexes plus his speed plus his muscle memory guaranteed it would not be easy to fight him in taijutsu. Kakashi had drilled basic stances and stance transitions along with a multitude of strike and kick combinations. His ability to use the chakra chains had improved drastically as he was now able to wield four full chains, changing length and thickness at will. His work into fuuinjutsu was slow but only because the majority of his time had been spent on taijutsu and chakra control. Speaking of chakra control, he was finally working on water walking and tree climbing but they were by far the most difficult control exercises he'd yet attempted. With that he'd also started to work on drawing out kyuubi's chakra which was tentative at best especially when he then had to relearn all of his chakra control exercises while drawing on the beasts chakra. There was a lot more he wanted to work on now that he knew about it but Kakashi and jiji didn't want him messing in too much stuff too soon or he might get injured. While he did heal quickly, burned out chakra coils hurt like a son of a bitch as he'd found out shortly after his return from Nami no Kuni.

The time had finally come for the team to show what they had and make it count.