Whew...It's been a while since I updated this one. Sorry about the wait, y'all. Just been through the crapper as of past...year and a half. Divorce, moving, finding out ex-wife is pregnant again...Yeah...Fun times for all and I've almost had to encase my head in foam to prevent me from bashing my own brains out against the nearest wall.

Well...Enough of my boring bullshit. You need a recap you say? Since you enjoyed the fic so much, just read through it again. There. Simple. Anywho...

ENJOY!

BACK AT HOME AFTER THE PRELIMS

Team 7 plus one guest were currently having supper at the Namikaze house, going over everything that had happened during the past week in Area 44. The appearance of Orochimaru alone was bad enough, since the mere mention of the fallen Sannin was enough to make Sarutobi nearly call a state of emergency. Also, his plans for the Uchiha were unsettling. Anything he wanted with him spelled nothing but bad news for everyone. Then, there was Gaara. The mad jinchuuriki didn't care who he killed and seemed to enjoy killing, saying that it made him feel alive. Even his own team and teammates, who were his blood siblings, were completely terrified of him.

Lastly, there was the appearance of another Steel Angel, Saki. She nearly killed Chouji, stating that she was ordered to inflict pain and that was it. She had absolutely no emotions, her master pulling her strings like a toy of destruction and death. She wasn't at all like Kurumi, but the Kyuubi knew why. It seemed as though her activation was incomplete, the great demon's cryptic words ringing in their ears : Awake yet not awake, still dreaming...'

What this meant was that her current state was more akin to sleepwalking, since the only true way to awaken a Steel Angel was the way Naruto did it. Sarutobi found in the lore that had been left behind pertaining to the Steel Angels that when an Angel is awakened, the spirit of the Angel bonds with the soul of her master, creating a relationship that transcends anything else. It is through the emotions of her master that an Angel draws her power. So, if the master is like Naruto, Kurumi's power is nigh limitless. But if she were awakened like Saki was, she would be nothing more than a slave and a hollow shell of what she could be.

After all of the heavy material was out of the way, they got to taking about strategy for their opponents.

"I drew that weapons girl from Gai-sensei's team. She might be tricky, but I can think of a few things to bring her to heel." Sakura surmised as she jotted down a few ideas on a notepad.

"You can bet that Gai will focus on increasing her speed and strength. His team is rather one-sided as none of them use much in the way of Ninjutsu, but they are still very strong for their age group. I can help you with a series of exercises to build up your physical abilities." Kakashi stated, making a note to write down a workout program for her as the next person spoke up.

"I drew Saki. I'm not gonna lie...I'm pretty worried about having to face her. She didn't really move all that much, so I can't tell how fast she is, but one clean hit and I'm done, plus using the Kyuubi is a last resort. The best I can think of is swarming her with exploding Bunshin and wear her down." Naruto offered.

"Hmm...I can see your point and it's a strategy that would only work for you, since you have the reserves for it. It would still behoove you to increase your control and a couple extra jutsu wouldn't hurt, either. I can jot a few down for you to work on, ones that would allow you to keep her at a distance and use your clones to wear her down." Kakashi told him, the blond nodding gratefully as they moved to Kurumi.

"Um...I got that cat-suit wierdo guy with the dolls. I guess I'll just beat him up." Kurumi shrugged.

Anything Kankuro could possibly throw at her, she would likely shrug off with disturbing ease, Kakashi reasoned. If anything, she needs to worry about the person she will face after him. He also noticed that all of the Suna Genin are reliant on tools. The blond girl was dependent on her fan, Garra on his sand, and the other boy on his puppet. Take out the tool and the ninja is toast.

"Simplicity is sometimes the best tactic. Just beating up your opponent is simple, uncomplicated, but effective against the right opponents if Gai's student Lee is anything to judge by. If he faced anyone other than Kurumi, Saki, or Gaara, he would have won without a doubt. Just improve upon your taijutsu and you can counter anything he can throw at you." Kakashi replied.

"'Kay, Kakashi-sensei!" The steel angel chirped happily as she clung to her master's arm.

With the discussions out of the way, they sat in on some dinner before calling it a night.

"We will get started day after tomorrow, giving me time to come up with effective training measures for you, but I suggest that you continue to come up with strategies of your own." Kakashi told his students as he left for home, intent on collecting his prize from Kurenai, Asuma waiting for him at the pub where they would meet up and head for his place.

"*YAWN*...I'm kinda sleepy..." Kurumi yawned loudly as she stretched out, Haruna checking the clock.

"I suppose it is getting rather late. Maybe we should turn in and get a fresh start in the morning. Sakura dear...Tomorrow, I have a day off, so I have something I would like to show you from my days as a Combat Medic." Haruna yawned herself as they all turned in for the night, Kurumi once again sticking to her master like a barnicle.

WITH KAKASHI...

Asuma had just arrived at the tavern with his sleeping clothes packed away in a scroll, awaiting Kurenai and Kakashi's arrival. He only had to talk with Shikamaru about his match in the finals but he had his clan to help his through training as did Hinata on Team 8, but Kakashi had his whole team advance and they didn't have clans to help them. He might take a little longer to get there, he thought as Kurenai arrived with a small bag in tow which he hoped contained the sexy outfit.

"Ooh...Might that be a party favor for tonight?" Asuma asked with a smirk.

"You suck." She grunted and huffed at the same time as she plopped down onto a bar stool to wait for Kakashi, who walked in a few moments later.

"You talk to your students?" Asuma asked both of his fellow sensei.

"Hinata is working with her clan for her training and as for Shino...I want him to forfeit." Kurenai stated.

"That's a smart choice. That Suna kid would have killed him just for pleasure. As for my kids, Sakura already had some devious ideas. Pretty dastardly stuff, but then again, she's a smart girl. Kurumi can just bowl right over that Puppet user kid without a problem, but Naruto...He's got some real trouble on his hands." Kakashi chimed in.

"That Saki girl from Oto...She's dangerous. It's like she's not human." Asuma agreed.

"But how will Naruto deal with her?" Kurenai asked.

"He's coming up with some pretty nasty surprises of his own, but I'll teach him a few jutsu that could help keep her at a distance." The Copy nin answered, as he changed the subject.

"So...Looks like it's getting past our bedtime. Time for that bedtime story." Kakashi stated merrily with Asuma grinning like an idiot next him, Kurenai holding down her temper.

'I should have known better...' She grimaced as she followed them to Kakashi's place.

Once inside, Kakashi and Asuma dressed into their night clothes complete with sleeping caps, looking like over grown children until Kurenai came out of the bathroom dressed in a drop dead sexy white lace teddy with garter-belt and stockings, making both men pray to every deity they knew of for the bounty they were about to receive. What followed afterward would fuel many erotic fantasies for both men for years to come while Kurenai threatened them with kunai to their no-no parts to maintain their silence.

(Details of Icha Icha Bedtime Stories coming to an Omake near YOU!)

TIMESKIP

For the next month, Team 7 busied themselves with their training. Sakura had been hard at work whipping up a nasty surprise for her opponent, the weapons girl on Gai-sensei's team. Tenten was a nasty customer at long range, seeing as she has an insane arsenal hidden in her weapon scrolls. On top of that, she wasn't too bad up close either, meaning Sakura really had her work cut out for her. Kakashi was going to aid her in taijutsu training.

Kurumi was simply sparring and brushing up on her skills with Asuma, whom owed Kakashi a favor from the Icha Icha Incident and Shikamaru was being trained by his father. He was shocked at how the girl seemed so innocent and...well...simple, but she was a fighting machine on par with Gai himself with Tsunade's freakish strength. All Asuma really had to do was help the girl brush up on her taijutsu.

However, Naruto had lucked out. As Naruto was waiting for Kurumi to come out of the bathhouse, he heard some pervert giggling next to the fence. Curious, he moved in close to see what was going on to find a tall old man with a wild mane of white hair, scribbling furiously into a notebook, peeping into a hole in the fence on the female bathers.

"What the hell, old man?!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, making the old man jump out of his skin.

"SHH! Quiet down, gaki! I'm trying to work here!" The man hissed as he went back to his...business.

"That's it..." Naruto growled as he set off a low powered Explosive Bunshin to take down the wall and reveal the pervert.

"Um...Hi." He said slowly as the growing mass of concentrated female rage exploded in his face, leaving him a mangled, quivering yet still slightly giggling as a less than socially acceptable Kurumi bounded over toward her master.

"Naruto-kun!" She chirped cheerfully, the reality that was her fully nude but tantilizing body was on open display completely eluding her, but Naruto was long since used to it.

"Kurumi-chan! C'mon! Get some clothes on!" He chided as she did just that, the old pervert giggling madly again.

"And what the hell are you laughing at, you pervy old goat?!" Naruto yelled.

"So she's a natural pink...Nice!" He commented aloud, scribbling it down before Naruto snatched the note pad from his grip, handed it to a hastily created explosive bunshin, and had it jump in the water before blowing up.

"What the hell, brat?! I was working on a masterpiece!"

"Masterpiece my left asscheek! You're just a old creep getting his rocks off on Kurumi-chan!" He bellowed back.

"Bah! A girl that hot's wasted on a shrimp like you!" The old man dismissed him as said girl bounded back over to the boy, hanging all over him and glaring at the pervert, but his pervy glee overrode his danger senses.

"Well hello there! I was wondering if you'd pose for me!" He ventured, but the girl shut him down.

"No way! Nuh uh! Naruto-kun is the only boy who can see me naked!" She declared vehemently.

"C'mon...You can't be serious about that little brat..." He tried to scoff, but she punched his ticket and pre-empted his next attempt.

Landing near Hokage Tower, he dusted himself off.

"Whoa...Haven't been hit that hard since Tsunade...Those two'd get along great." He muttered as he ventured inside and into Sarutobi's office.

"Ah, Jiraiya-kun. It's been a while since you've been back." Sarutobi stated evenly with a hint of disapproval, having seen what happened in his scrying crystal once he heard the commotion.

"Meh. Just been up to the usual. The ladies just can't resist the wild love roller coaster that is the Jiraiya!" He cackled as Sarutobi sighed and spoke.

"About that incident back at the hot springs..." He started but Jiraiya piped up.

"Yeah...That pink haired girl was a complete fox! Her measurements almost put Tsunade-hime to shame! Can't figure out what she'd want with that little runt, though. She must have some pretty low standards." Jiraiya stated but Sarutobi interjected.

"About that little brat you mentioned. You of course remember your promise to Minato?" Sarutobi asked.

"Oh that? What about it?" Jiraiya asked non-chalatly, digging something out of his ear with his pinky.

"That was Naruto you ran into to and the girl he was with? She is one of our greatest treasures..." Sarutobi stated in a scolding tone as he laid everything bare, explaining Naruto's life thus far due to his and Tsunade's negligence. He thought that Hibana or Haruna had taken the brat in, but he was sadly, horribly mistaken.

"Oh shit..." Was all Jiraiya could muster. If Kushina or Minato were around, they'd skin him alive and bathe him in rubbing alcohol...For starters. He was then told of what Kurumi really was and how she fit into the bigger picture, as well as Kakashi pulling through in a pinch for them.

"That's what your carelessness has sunk you into. You could have at least checked on him anonymously through one of your many contacts. I know you have those kinds of resourses, so please do not insult my intelligence." Sarutobi responded.

"Kakashi has really proven himself, not only as a good shinobi but also as a outstanding teacher. It seems as though he really took Minato's teachings to heart. I suppose I can teach the brat what I taught his father. Based on what you told me, the kid's more than ready." Jiraiya mused.

"Yes. Naruto-kun had grown by leaps and bounds under Kakashi, but he is not the only person whose ire you must face. Haruna is quite put out with you and Tsunade. And Naruto knows who his parents were, so you have much to make amends for." Sarutobi warned as the man went to seek out the Godson he neglected.

He had been told Naruto lived in his father's old house near the West end of town, along with Haruna and her niece, the boy's own teammate. Swallowing loudly, remembering that Haruna was one person whose wrath was comparable to Tsunade's or Kushina's as he knocked on the door.

"Hello? Can I help you?" Asked Sakura of the strange old man at the door.

'Hmm...Not much right now, but maybe in a few years...' Jiraiya mused, but was drawn out of them by an outraged shout from inside the house.

"What the hell are you doing here, you old pervert?!" Naruto exclaimed, that designation now drawing a frown from the pink haired girl as well.

"You have three seconds to explain what you want." Sakura growled, holding up the fingers and ticked them off.

"One..."

"Okay! I'm here for the brat!"

"Two..."

"Sakura...Let me talk to him. He and I have much to talk about." She heard her aunt request. She turned to see her aunt with a glare on her features.

"Don't we, Jiraiya?" She added, her tone scathing as Sakura recognized the name as one of the Sannin. Her aunt assured the kids that she would be fine as she closed the door behind her.

"Now...You will explain EXACTLY what the hell you were thinking leaving Naruto alone and unprotected." Haruna snarled at him.

"H-hey...I thought the brat would be fine. Sensei'd told me he'd take care of it." Jiraiya defended.

"Not good enough. I already talked with Hokage-sama about this. Both you and Tsunade have turned your backs on your promise to care for Naruto-chan, leaving it up to me. I did what I could with that damned council hounding my every step. Hokage-sama had me tell him everything, something YOU or Tsunade should have done. Damn you two for doing this to him...To us." Haruna raged at him, Jiraiya going silent.

There wasn't much he could say. He DID all but run away from his responsibilities, as had Tsunade. He had the resources to make sure Naruto was taken care of, but he simply didn't do it. He learned that Hiashi Hyuuga of all people had paid for his apartment discreetly. Kakashi had taken him under his wing and was doing what he could to shield him from the council. Haruna had taken him in once she was able. Then there was this Steel Angel on top of all of this.

In the end, he wanted a chance to make things up to his godson, to make up for lost time. So his next destination was to find Kakashi. He found the man at the bookstore, trying to get his next fix of Icha Icha.

"Ah...Jiraiya-sama. What brings you here of all places and to talk with me? It wouldn't be about Naruto, would it?" Kakashi ventured, making Jiraiya sigh.

"Yeah...It is. Look, I want to train him for the finals." Jiraiya came right out into the open.

"...And what brought this on? You didn't seem too concerned with his well being before." Kakashi inquired.

"I know I screwed up, okay?! I don't need you to tell me what Haruna and sensei have already hounded me on!" Jiraiya fired back at the cycloptic Jounin, but he wasn't fazed.

"They didn't hound you. They reminded you of the promise you made to Minato-sensei and Kushina. Also, I'll let you train him for the finals, but only if you promise to stick around this time. Naruto knows the truth about his parents...And about you. He won't be happy once he meets you." Kakashi warned as he went on his way.

Soon, Jiraiya found his way back to Naruto's house and knocked on the door, Sakura once again answering the door.

"What do you want?" She asked crossly, her jade green eyes narrowed.

"I want to talk to Naruto. Tell him Jiraiya wants to see him." Jiraiya stated, Sakura staring at him for a moment longer before calling out.

"What's up?" Naruto replied as he came down the stairs and saw Jiraiya.

"What the hell do you want now?" Naruto growled.

"I need to talk to you kid. It's important. It's about your parents." Jiraiya stated, saying the magic words to get his attention.

"...Fine. Let's talk." Naruto replied after thinking it over for a few minutes.

"Naruto-kun! Where are..." Kurumi asked as she bounded down the stairs, only to see her master about to leave.

"Kurumi-chan...Stay here. I need to talk to this guy alone." He ordered the girl. She wanted to go, but his order was obsolute.

"Okay..." She pouted as the two shinobi walked off to a quiet area.

Once they were sure they were alone, Jiraiya put up a few silenceing seals to ensure no one could listen in. Finally, he told Naruto everything, including who he was and what he promised to do, slightly modified of course.

"So...You were told to come back once I was a Genin...Am I hearing this right? Haruna-oba will tell me the same thing, right?" Naruto asked skeptically.

'Oh shit...Kid's a little sharper than I thought...' Jiraiya began to panic as he steered the conversation away from that topic on to what he will be teaching him, plus the icing on the cake so to speak.

"Whoa...I'll get to sign the Toad Contract like my dad?" Naruto whispered as Jiraiya summoned the contract toad, unfurling it to reveal his father's name and the available space next to it.

"Sign here in your blood to create a bond with the toads." Jiraiya instructed as he went over what signing the contract entailed.

"Okay kiddo...Meet me here tomorrow and we can begin your training under me." Jiraiya informed the boy, whom bounded off back home excitedly while Jiraiya wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Damn...I hope he forgets to ask Haruna on the way home..." The great pervert muttered as he left for his hotel room for the night.

The next day saw Naruto meeting Jiraiya at the specified place and time, nothing looking out of the ordinary.

'Whew...Looks like he forgot to ask her. I'm safe.' He thought as he greeted his new student/Godson.

"'Sup, Ero-sensei!" Naruto greeted, making Jiraiya grimace, memories of Minato and Kushina both calling him that years before.

"Another generation being called that...Great." He grunted as he lead Naruto out to one of the training areas to begin his training.

Once they got there, Jiraiya ran him through the basics of summoning, enabling him to at least call one of the smaller toads, Gamakichi. This one in particular was the son of the one and only Gamabunta, the mighty Boss Toad. The two hit it off almost immediately, making Jiraiya hopeful that the grouchy old toad would accept Naruto as he did his father before him.

After the day's training was over, Naruto called Jiraiya over to talk to him for a moment. Thinking that this would be some ideal Godson/Godfather bonding time, he rushed over, only to catch a sharp kick to his groin. After a moment of trying to force his balls from his throat back down in place, he asked what that was for.

"Haruna-obasan said that was from her. See ya!" Naruto chirped as he scampered off home.

"Shit...He remembered after all..." Jiraiya groaned as he limped back to his hotel room for the night.

Next, Kakashi had been drilling Sakura intensively in Taijutsu, but also left her time to develop some particularly nasty tricks. She got it in her head that a normal explosive tag wasn't enough in some cases and was actually thinking about strapping one of Naruto's suicide clones with Kunai, turning him in a human shrapnel grenade. In light of this, she asked Kakashi about sealing, to which he directed her to a special book on seals written by Jiraiya years ago. Now, she was creating an especially nasty exploding tag that would spray Kunai, Senbon, and other nasties everywhere when they went off with explosive force.

"That's...Actually brilliant. I never would have thought of that..." Kakashi stated, completely stunned but also proud of his kunoichi student. She also used the same process for a gas grenade tag, which would spew forth noxious ammonium chloride fumes once triggered, on top of a prototype flashbang tag.

'Let's see that weapons girl or anyone else dodge THIS.' Sakura thought as she held her nose to the grindstone, furthering her training.

She also recieved training from her Aunt, the Shousen jutsu. This simple medical jutsu would allow her to repair minor damage and help her accurately diagnose injuries in her teammates. On top of that, she was taught the Chakra Scalple. With it, she could coat her hand in chakra and strike at nerves and tissue under the skin, regardless of the outer defences.

Kurumi, on the other hand, was recieving Taijutsu training from Asuma Sarutobi.

"Jeez...This girl's a juggernaut. You just can't slow her down, much less stop her..." He grumbled, but he thought back to that magical night, the Icha Icha Bedtime debacle.

"Heh heh...That was sooo worth this, seeing Kurenai in that sexy teddy..." He almost drooled as he thought back on that night.

END TIMESKIP...ONE MONTH LATER AT THE CHUUNIN EXAM ARENA...

One month had flown by with all three Genin...Well, two Genin and one Steel Angel, on Team 7 having engrossed themselves in their training. They could all say with certainty that they have all made significant strides in their areas of expertise. Now, we come to the Chuunin Exam Arena near the center of the village, where all of the Chuunin-aspirants have gathered together on the field. Every single one of them had used this month to improve themselves and hopefully gain something from this day.

Up in the stands and in a special viewing box, Sarutobi sat waiting for the events to begin along with his counterpart from Suna, the Kazekage.

"Kazekage-dono...How nice of you to join me here today. We have a fine crop of Genin this time around, I dare say some of the most surprising and promising candidates in a long time." Sarutobi greeted.

Underneath, (C'mon...You should know it's really the snake pedo by now.) Orochimaru sneered at his old sensei. He had been in a rather foul mood as of late, especially since he found out what the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki had said was true. His prize, Sasuke Uchiha, was indeed enjoying the hospitality of the Elemental Nations most notorious prison for the next 20 years. Even worse was the fact that breaking him out was going to take every resource he could scrounge up. That meant that if this invasion even remotely started to head south, as in Saki or Gaara failing in their objectives, he'd have to pull out to reserve his forces and leave Suna to their fate, something he had no particular problem with.

"Hn...I wonder, Hokage-dono." He replied sourly as the event got underway.

SAKURA VS. TENTEN

Down in the arena, Genma Shiranui gave his spiel as MC and Ref, telling the crowd what they were in for today and announced the line-up.

"Alright...First match...Sakura Haruno vs. Tenten!" He announced loudly, the two Genin in question remaining down on the arena floor while the rest went back in into the Competitors Box.

"Kick her ass, Sakura-chan." Naruto whispered to her as he passed her by, the pair bumping fists as she got ready.

Tenten sized up her opponent and remembered how their last sparring match went. She was rather weak and slow, but from what she saw of her match against that Inuzuka kid, she was extremely devious. She would have to be extra vigilant as to not get caught in something nasty. Sakura was doing some thinking of her own. She had done her research on Tenten and found her to be a rather one dimensional fighter, relying on her weapons all the time. However, her opponent was also a crack shot with her weapons, able to hit her targets, moving or not, with unerring accuracy. She would have to use her newest tags to even the odds.

"And...FIGHT!"

Sakura wasted no time in pulling out some of her newest tags and spread them across the arena floor, but refrained from igniting them just yet. Tenten saw what she was doing, but not why as she entered into melee range and began engaging her target with the belief that she wouldn't set off her tags with herself in close proximity. To her shock, the pink haired girl was now fairing much better in close quarters, able to keep up with her if only just barely but it was by far an improvement over her previous performance. Soon, Sakura was beginning to tire. Her stamina was still a weakness she was trying to remedy but that would take much longer than a month to fix and Tenten managed to capitalize on it, sneaking a blow into her gut and forcing her back.

'Alright...Time to switch gears and give her a surprise she'll never forget.' Sakura grinned through the pain and she quickly ducked and covered her ears, setting off a flashbang tag only a few feet from herself. She had hoped Tenten would accept the bait of an easy target and forget about the tags she had spread throughout the arena at the start.

Tenten was at first confused at why she was recoiling away but she wasn't one to waste an opportunity as she advanced on the girl...Only for a deafening and blinding explosion of sound and light to got off right in front of her. Once she was stunned, she began to stumble around blindly, allowing Sakura to knock her out without much trouble. Once Genma finally regained his sight and the ringing in his ears faded, he saw that Tenten was down, her opponent standing over her.

"Winner...Sakura Haruno!"

"The Haruno girl certainly used her head. She had some of the highest marks in Academy history, as well as some of the best Chakra control scores on record. Her opponent has been a kunoichi for over a year now and not only outclassed her in strength, but also speed, yet she managed to outsmart her opponent and seize victory. She will bear watching." Sarutobi stated to his guest.

"Hn...I admit that she her tactics were very well thought out and would likely work against a group as well. These stun tags of hers...I was not aware such tags existed." The Kazekage replied. Orochimaru was very interested in these upto now unknown seal tags, as they would give a surprize attacker an overwhelming advantage, one that could possibly allow even a Genin to kill a seasoned Jounin in combat.

Down in the stands, Kakashi and Gai watched the match, the one-eyed Jounin smiling proudly.

"Dear rival...What on earth were those tags she used? I've never seen anything like them before." Gai asked.

"Oh...That's just something she cooked up while experimenting with seals. I wouldn't doubt she's created other nightmares, either. She truly is a brilliant girl." Kakashi stated with pride.

Over in the competitor's box, the Steel Angel enveloped the smaller pink haired girl in a crushing hug before letting go.

"Wow! You did really good, Sakura-chan!" Kurumi praised, bouncing in place like a puppy on a sugar high.

"You were great down there. She barely even touched you." Naruto added as the other Genin pondered what the hell just happened.

Shino could see how those stun tags would give the user an immense advantage. Once you were stunned, there was little else you could do. He deduced that the pressure wave from the explosion would render his Kikai bugs useless while the two Hyuuga paled at the implications. This new tag would render their all-seeing eyes powerless, on top of temporarily shutting down their hearing and giving them a splitting headache.

NARUTO UZUMAKI VS SAKI

The other matches had all gone by quickly. This author wants to get the story moving along, so I'll summarize the previous three matches. Shino surrendered to Gaara, which was a very wise choice. Sure he wanted to become a Chuunin, but not at the risk of dying in a futile attempt. Based on what he saw in the Pre-lims and from what his Kikai told him, hw stood no chance of surviving the match. Neji and Hinata fought a fierce battle down in the arena, somehow managing to take each other down in a draw. Hiashi was none the less proud of both of them for the monumental efforts, as was Kurenai. Kankuro tried to fight Kurumi, but this fight was not only embarrassingly short, but his puppet Karasu had been completely destroyed. Now, we come to the fight those whom knew Naruto were dreading. Asuma was wondering how Kakashi's student would handle the girl's freakish strength when Chouji was powerless against her.

Down in the arena, the two fighters faced one another. Saki's master hadn't told her not to kill, so this target was going to meet a rather nasty end once she got hold of him. Naruto had seen what she was capable of, so he knew to stay out of her grasp at all costs. On top of that he had a gameplan already in motion. He'd already created several Kage Bunshin and had them hide in his Kunai pouch as Kunai. Now that Saki was attacking him, he could begin his plan and scatter the all over the arena for her to fall into. Next, he created even more Kage Bunshin that would explode when she killed them, wearing her down and forcing her into the minefield he'd laid down. Finally, his clones managed to force her into position in the middle of the minefield, where he detonated them in no particular order, tossing her around like a rag doll.

"Damage...Index...Exceeding 75%...System shutting down..." Saki droned as she was flung clear of the explosions.

Up in the Kage Box, Orochimaru was absolutely furious that a mere Genin, the Dead Last of his class at that, managed ot defeat his Dark Angel. However, the rage he's feeling now? That's nothing compared to what was about to happen.

As Saki was flung clear of the explosions, as previously mentioned, she careened right into our loveable blond protagonist, lips first. Not that anyone saw it in the middle of the symphony of destruction Naruto unleashed. However, once the dust clouds cleared, she was seen on top of Naruto, in full and unwitting lip lock with the beautiful but deadly girl, whom started to wake up.

"Oh shit...This isn't good..." Naruto muttered as he prepared to use a quick replacement to get himself clear before she ripped his arms off and beat him to death with them, but the last thing anyone...ANYONE, expected came to pass.

"MASTER!" She chirped as she glomped him to the complete and utter shock of everyone present.

Genma regained his wits long enough to ask a question.

"Um...Are you going to fight or not?" He asked uneasily.

"Nuh uh...I don't wanna fight master." Saki replied as Genma shrugged and announced Naruto the winner.

You could hear a pin drop in the stunned silence of the arena, but one Genin's words summed up the thoughts of those in the know quite nicely.

"Oh shit...He's got another one..." Sakura muttered, knowing what just happened while up in the box, Orochimaru was having a silent conniption trying to figure out why his Dark Angel was suddenly listening to the brat while Sarutobi chuckled in amusement.

"That boy...He has the Devil's Luck...Or should I say an Angel's luck?" Sarutobi told himself silently.

Over in the Genin Box, Saki and Kurumi stared at each other intensely for a few moments. Naruto and Sakura briefly wondered if they were going to have to bail out to avoid a cataclysmic cat fight until they glomped each other.

"KYAA! SISTER!" They cheered in unison as everyone in the box, including Gaara, looked completely bewildered.

"What...The hell just happened here?" Kankuro aksed no one in particular, but in the back of the booth, Hinata was ready to explode with rage.

'I'm so screwed...' Neji thought as he watched his cousin enter a slow meltdown as Genma down below announced the next match.

HINATA HYUUGA VS NEJI HYUUGA...

If Neji could have gotten more pale, he'd have gone invisible as his heart dropped into his sandals. He looked over to see that Hinata had already left for the door, but she looked back at him with that smile...

'That horrible...HORRIBLE smile...' Neji thought to himself as he began to shiver uncontrollably like an abused lab rat, coming dangerously close to emptying his bowels and bladder.

"Let's go, Neji-niisan..." Hinata called out sweetly, her deathly aura flaring into the frightening visage of the Shinigami himself behind her while most people in the box felt chills running sprints up and down their spines. Note that I said MOST.

'Could she help validate my existence?' Gaara wondered as he felt the wave of pure malice.

"Hinata-chan is so nice!" Kurumi chimed, completely unaffected by and oblivious to Hinata's impending explosion with her new sister agreeing demurely.

"Yeah! She's kinda quiet, but she's always been pretty nice to people!" Naruto added.

'Ah, those rose tinted glasses...' Sakura sighed as she willed the terror away with great effort. She'd felt worse, but Hinata's ki was definitely nasty.

Down in the arena, it became obvious that Neji really didn't want to be there, but his uncle wanted him to push Hinata to her limits to see just how far she had come on her own...Especially after her sensei started having the girl visit Inoichi once a week. The girl had some severe anger problems combined with weapons-grade moé plus Yandere, a truly dangerous mix. She was a bomb waiting to go off...An adorable bomb but a bomb nonetheless.

Within a moment, Genma had them both facing one another...At least as much as Neji could manage as he signaled the start of the match.

"Shall we, Neji-niisan?" Hinata asked sweetly, cracking her knuckles in a most disturbing manner as she flew forward and initiated the most savage ass kicking many in attendance had ever witnessed, complete with a free flight into the sidewall.

'There it is again...That explosive technique of hers...I MUST figure out her secret.' Orochimaru thought, salivating at the mere thought of the destruction he could cause with such a techinique.

"Holy crap..." Kankurou muttered in fear.

'No WAY in Hell am I facing the female version of Gaara.' He thought as the other Genin in the booth cringed.

Down in the stands, Kiba was on the verge of wetting himself whlie Kurenai sighed deeply, seeing that all of the psychotherapy with Inoichi was, for all intents and purposes, a complete waste of time. Sakura looked over at Shino to see that he was stoic as always.

"Aren't even remotely freaked out?" She asked him. He then turned to her, adjusted his glasses and spoke as he normally does...With a slight waver.

"I am actually terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought." He stated. For him, that was freaked out.

"Ahh...I feel so much better. Thank you, Neji-niisan!" Hinata thanked her opponent as she merrily skipped off, leaving him a lump of bruised and bloodied flesh on the arena floor as the medics scraped him up and hauled him away.

"Urr wlcum..." He mumbled into the dirt while the medics were borderline horrified.

"Hiyori's eldest definitely took after her aunt Hibana..." Haruna mutter, remembering the sheer amount of terror the terminally shy Hyuuga could inspire when pressed as they dragged Neji's carcass to the infirmary so they could get started on the next match.

NARUTO VS GAARA

"Oh crap..." Naruto groaned in response to the pairing. He was NOT looking forward to this one, since Gaara was batshit insane and would likely squeeze him like a zit until he popped if he managed to catch him. Luckily, Jiraiya had equipped him for just such an occasion, in the form of teaching him several Suiton jutsu to immobilize his sand.

Gaara couldn't wait to tear someone apart since the Konoha Genin he was supposed to face backed out before the round could even begin, but this one would likely prove a greater challenge to him if he managed to defeat that murderous girl. The two came face to face in the middle of the arena floor, ready to square off as Genma called for the fight to begin, Naruto backing away to avoid Gaara turning him into a bloody smoothie and fired a few Water jutsu at him to see how he would react. Just was he hoped, Gaara just sat there and let his sand defend him as he usually did. All people could see was Naruto's futile attempts to penetrate Gaara's defense, but those in the know...

"Heh...Smart brat. He's using the water to weigh down the sand, making it slower and slower with each hit." Jiraiya smirked as Sakura came to the same conclusion.

"Nice one, Naruto." She whispered with a smirk of her own as the fight continued.

Back down in the fight, Naruto continued to pelt Gaara with repeated Suiton jutsu while having clones acting as rodeo clowns, keeping Gaara's sand busy by lightly goading it into acting to defend it's host. He'd already guessed that Gaara's bijuu was acting to protect it's host, but he would need to get rid of the sand to have a crack at Gaara himself. From what the fox told him, Gaara's seal was likely either malfunctioning or it was done on purpose, letting Shukaku, as he'd learned the Ichibi was called, have more control. This resulted in Gaara's automatic defenses, but the boy himself had never really trained to be able to fight on his own, always letting his sand do everything.

Finally, Naruto caught a break. When one clone was teasing the sand, he noticed that it was slowed to a crawl in returning. Taking a chance, the Kamikaze Clone darted into Gaara's defensive gap and blew itself up, scattering sand everywhere and throwing Gaara onto his back for the first time in his life, leaving his siblings in complete shock.

'No one ever got past Gaara's sand before...This isn't good.' Temari thought as she gripped the railing near her tightly while Gaara stood up shakily.

"You...You hurt me...YOU HURT ME!" Gaara wailed and roared, a grotesque transformation coming over him, making Baki grit his teeth.

"No...It's too soon..." He muttered, but had no choice.

"START THE INVASION!" He bellowed as all hell broke loose in the stadium.

Up in the Kage Box, Orochimaru was seething with rage due to the fact that nothing was going according to his plans. First, Saki had been ont only taken down but somehow the Kyuubi brat overrode what they did to awaken her. Next, the same brat was taking his other ace in the hole to task, exposing glaring weaknesses in his newest toy. Now, that idiot Baki was jumping the gun before he gave the signal. Even he was caught flat footed but down in the arena, it looked like his attack was anticipated as Jounin level ninja popped out of the crowd and mowed down the sleeper agents he had mixed. The fallen Sannin then grabbed his former sensei and held him and knife point, having his Sound Four erect their barrier, but he wasn't done being shocked yet.

"Try not to look too surprized...Orochimaru." Sarutobi smirked as his form melted, revealing that it was a clone he had trapped, Sarutobi appearing outside of the barrier with a knowing smirk.

You...How did you know...HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" Orochimaru screamed in rage.

"You seem to forget whom your sensei was. I know more about you than anyone else and that includes all of your proclivities and habits." Sarutobi goaded him even more as Jiraiya joined him. The old Hokage had a feeling that Orochimaru was up to something, so he pulled a page out of his favorite prankster's book and wound up turning the tables.

The normally calm Orochimaru was now seeing red and not thinking clearly. He was going to use the Edo Tensei to summon up the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Hokages to fight, but that strategy went out the window pretty quickly. Instead, he was pacing around his own barrier, alone, while cursing up a storm. This little invasion gambit of his blew up in his face. The Uchiha was indeed in the most secure prison in the Elemental Nations and breaking him out would take resource he could muster to crack it. Next, his idiot pawns jumped the gun and his two weapons were now useless.

"Retreat!" Orochimaru bellowed to his Sound forces, leaving the Sand to their fates.

"No! Don't chase him. Concentrate all forces on repelling the invaders." Sarutobi ordered, opting to save as much of the village as he could.

"You know that old Snake Face is just going to come back." Jiraiya commented.

"I know...But we have to concentrate on saving what we can." Sarutobi sighed.

"So...He took the guise of the Kazekage...I guess that means the original is dead somewhere. I wonder if Suna even knows?" Jiraiya replied.

"Likely not, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Sarutobi sighed once again as they both looked off in the distance to see a massive Tanuki made of sand loom over the forest.

"I guess I'll give the brat a hand." Jiraiya sighed as he lept off, leaving his old sensei to coordinate village defenses.

WITH NARUTO

"You...You hurt me...YOU HURT ME!" Gaara wailed and roared, a grotesque transformation coming over him.

"Oh great..." Naruto groused as he felt a mental tug.

"That psychopath Shukaku is trying to break free from the kid's seal. Watch yourself." The Kyuubi warned its host as he was joined by not only Kurumi, but also Saki, whom had removed her Oto headband.

"Master!" She cried as she and her new sister landed at his side.

"Kurumi-chan! Think you can help me out?" He asked.

"Sure!" She chirped as he told the two Angels his plan.

First, they lured him out into the forests away from the village but they also had to deal with Gaara's siblings. Normally, this would have been cause for concern, but those concerns died a horrible death when Saki and Kurumi just marched right over Temari and Kankuro, beating them both senseless and moving on to the second phase of the, just plain beating the hell of out of Gaara unitl he stopped. That plan hit a bit of a snag when Gaara used something he called the Tanuki Neiri, Feigned Sleep. It was this that thrust the Ichibi into the drivers seat, letting him out to play.

"Aw crap..." Naruto grimaced as he felt another tug.

"It looks like when ever the host loses consciousness, that idiot Shukaku takes over. Wake him up and that fat weirdo should go away." The fox advised.

Naruto was thanking his lucky stars that the Fox was actually being helpful and not making him a raving lunatic like Gaara. He then relayed the details to his two...Yes, two...Steel Angels.

"That's all? Cool! C'mon sis!" Kurumi chirped, Saki following along with a shy nod.

"'Kay, sis." She replied quietly as they lept off to enact their orders.

The two heavenly bodies...Heh heh...Were able to act with practiced teamwork even though they had only been together less that an hour. Saki turned out to be the faster of the two while Kurumi was physically stronger than her, Saki distracting Gaara while Kurumi dashed in and cleaned Gaara's clock, breaking the jutsu and making the sand giant crumble.

"NO! I JUST GOT OUT TO PLAY! The massive Bijuu wailed and whined as it fell, depositing Gaara on the forest floor where Naruto ran up to him.

"W-why...? Why are you happy? I thought...You were like me..." Gaara questioned him.

"...I don't know. Maybe because I didn't give up. Maybe because I'm luckier. Who knows? All I know is that I could have turned out like you if Kurumi-chan hadn't come into my life." Naruto replied as Gaara braced himself for death until another presence revealed itself.

"Ero-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I just came to check on you and what do I find? You and those...He he he...Heavenly bodies of yours had already taken care of business. Now...I suppose I need to go to work." Jiraiya stated, cracking his knuckles and began to plug up the gaps in Gaara's seal, along with more restriction seals intended for prisoners in addition to cutting him off from the Ichibi.

"You say...You have a precious person? If I...Have one...Could I be happy?" Gaara wondered aloud.

"That's all up to you, kid." Jiraiya spoke up, making Gaara nodded painfully but thoughtfully as he was loaded onto Jiraiya's shoulder for transport back to the village.

"My...Brother and sister...Where are they?" Gaara asked.

"A team of Chuunin found them unconscious and have already taken them to the lock-up. I can put you together with them if you like." Jiraiya stated. He knew that now that the Ichibi's influence over the boy was broken, he would likely be easy to manage as long as he was near his siblings.

"...Thank you..." Gaara slurred as sleep overtook him as they made their way back.

"So...How's everything going?" Naruto asked.

"Better than we could have hoped for." Jiraiya replied, telling him just what happened back in the Kage Box.

"Heh...I bet that jerkoff got a nasty shock when the old man pulled one over on him." Naruto chuckled.

"Heh heh...Yep. The old man's still got some tricks up his sleeve. Now c'mon, you three. Haruna's going nuts worrying about you." Jiraiya chuckled right back as they all set off back for he village while the great pervert thought on everything that happened.

All in all, the invasion of Konoha was over and it ended with a complete routing of the attacking forces. Of course, this was due in no small part to the fact that Gaara and Saki had been compromised. If they had been allowed to operate as intended, the loss of life could have been catastrophic. If Orochimaru hadn't been so negligent and arrogant after being discovered in the Forest of Death, the old man would have been killed and Konoha would have been on the very brink of destruction.

But now, things had completely worked in their favor. Apparently, one of Orochimaru's main objectives in this whole operation he'd initiated was to gain the Sharingan, but that was rendered impossible since he was most likely someones personal cock muppet in prison. Those perverts always did like the young ones, he guessed. Next, that Saki girl had been properly awakened by none other than his own Godson...Lucky brat...Next, the old monkey had correctly guessed at what Orochimaru was going to do during the finals and took proper countermeasures. This enabled them to lay a counter trap for their enemies, whom fell right into it, making them sorry they ever thought about double crossing Konoha. Finally, that Suna kid was taken down and suppressed before he could do any damage.

'We got lucky...Very lucky.' He surmised as they entered the village proper.

A/N: And...Scene.

Okay...like I said above, it's been a while but yes, I've still alive...Somewhat. Been busy as hell with a hobby that allows me to shoot people without an indictment, Airsoft. Yes...I DO play but don't lump me in with the COD fanboys. This is purely to vent my anger and frustrations out on other human beings without getting thrown in jail. Hell...i even put together a Juggernaut package and let them have at me, but I left some gaps in the armor so I can feel pain...You know, something other than self disgust.

Anywho...You all know the drill. See ya later.