A/N: Okay let's talk muses for a damn second. They're bitches, and my brain has the most flightiest ones ever. This is the most recent chapter. I make no promises on when the next will be out. Arrrrh.

Neon, I am so sorry that I lost contact with you. My other laptop died, I don't have skype on this one, and I'm a moron. Mostly a moron.

This is, unfortunately, Unbeta'd and I currently don't give a damn.

Warnings: Please refer to chapter one.

Disclaimer: I don't own this, all original characters belong to their respective parties. This is not meant to be used in any transaction, is not for sale, and is a free product that is not recommended to any of you who have addictive personalities like my own which lead to obsessively reading for days on end.

Feel free to read and do what you want as long as you're not stealing this.

.-.

Chapter 13:

Enter! Uzumaki Naruto, Epic Training, and A New Roomate?!

Ha! We'll be the best roommates ever Sasuke!

.-.

The trio of rookie genin teams met up before splitting off. Sasuke joined Naruto and Shino, an ANBU guard following in the shadow, to go get his things packed while the other groups split off. However they didn't leave before agreeing to meet up for a celebratory party at one of the nearby restaurants to congratulate those who made it to the final exam. They could do this with an easier heart since Asuma had returned from escorting Choji to the hospital, informing them that the boy was already in surgery and it looked like he would make a full recovery in about three weeks, though he would have to spend most of it on bed rest and easy activities due to his severe blood loss and to avoid straining the new scars he had over a portion of his torso and upper arms. The iryo-nin had said the injuries weren't severe enough to handicap his abilities as a ninja and with his clan's hardiness and bulk he would rebound fairly quickly, perhaps even soon than the prognosis.

With their hearts relieved a little, Naruto, Shino and Sasuke headed to the Uchiha district and the place the boy had been living in on his lonesome.

.-.

Naruto stared at Sasuke's apartment mutely. It was newer looking than several buildings, maybe six years old at most, which made his heart clench. The only reason for a new building in a district devoted to traditional style and ancient roots would be because the owner could not live in any of the other places offered.

The blonde morbidly wondered if it was because of the ghosts Sasuke undoubtedly faced, or if there were stains that just would not come out.

Hiding the shudder, Naruto followed Sasuke and Shino into the small living space.

"Let's get you packed up, alright?" Naruto said, after a steadying breath, "What do you need, Sasuke-kun?" Shino glanced in question at Sasuke who shifted awkwardly.

"Probably my clothes, shinobi supplies, toiletries and literature," the boy said. "There nothing else really, no groceries either," his gaze didn't settle on them, showing how uncomfortable the whole thing was for him. Naruto hummed, knowing the no groceries were largely due to his and Hinata looking out to make sure the boy was fed healthy foods. If there was anything more than a bag of rice in the panty and some nori for onigiri he would be surprised.

"Well, let's get started," Naruto said with a roll of his shoulders and a cheerful clap of his hands, "Because I don't know about you but I'm ready for some home cooking and a long, hot soak in the bath." Both boys nodded in agreement and Sasuke smiled slightly when Naruto formed a team of clones. Seeing his ersatz-brother's smirk, Naruto scowled playfully at him, "I don't want to be here all night, and I'm sure neither do you, Shino." The Aburame chuckled softly and almost soundlessly.

"I don't have much," Sasuke said, "But thanks for the help."

"We're friends, Sasuke-san," Shino stated calmly, "This is nothing."

The boy in question might have blushed at that, but the youngest Uchiha determinedly blamed it on a slight fever from tiredness.

.-.

Sasuke entered the guest room feeling slightly uncomfortable. For the next month, perhaps even longer, he would be living here with Naruto-san. The house was familiar to him having been over at least twice a week since their mission to Nami. The room was sparse in design, clearly meant for the rare guest, Shino probably the only one who had visited prior to their expanding acquaintanceship with the others in their graduating class, and he lived next door never needing the freshly aired futon. The window however looked out on a nice portion of garden Naruto shyly admitted to having tended from time to time, and the low desk table, lamp, dresser in the closet, and the narrow bookcase was more than enough. It wasn't like Sasuke had that much anyway.

"Everything alright?" Naruto asked as he appeared in the doorway behind Sasuke, the second of Sasuke's two boxes in his arms. The last Uchiha nodded.

"The room's fine, Naruto-kun," Sasuke said plopping his backpack and box down in the center.

"Good," Naruto said with a warm smile, his mask pushed down, "Shino's got your duffle and I'm going to go start dinner. If you want to shower you know where the bathroom is, unless you want to unpack. Dinner should be ready in about an hour." Sasuke nodded a bit awkwardly and Naruto flashed another smile and put the box down before disappearing back down the hall.

Shino appeared next and set the duffle down. "This is everything, Sasuke-kun," he said quietly.

"Thanks," he told the Aburame.

"It is no problem, if you should require anything my father has told me to tell you that you are welcome to come by and ask for assistance." Shino finished, "I shall see you tomorrow for the celebratory party commemorating our success in continuing onto the Final Exam." Sasuke flushed but nodded, the small knot of warmth growing even more. The two exchanged a pair of nods in goodbye and Sasuke sat amongst his luggage. The sounds of Naruto in the kitchen and the soft humming he made while preparing the meal, and the quiet noise of a clan, alive and active, but respectful of each other's' space, made him wistful and nostalgic. However, for the first time in years he felt like he was a part of something. Even with the previous aching loneliness that had been lost with his team, his new friendships and mentorships, the small guest room in Uzumaki Naruto's little house felt like his room in a home.

Turning to the first box with a slight smile and air of determination he started unpacking his jutsu scrolls.

He would make the most of this, definitely.

.-.

Naruto heard the noise of Sasuke settling in and quietly smiled. The tension of the situation seemed to have not deterred Sasuke's continued good health and Naruto was even tentative to think that this arrangement might suit them. He easily washed the vegetables and was glad that Sacchi-obaa-san was kind enough to fill his refrigerator with fresh food when she and Shibi-oji-san had learned of their five day long exam and following preliminaries. She'd offered to cook for them when she'd seen them return, but Naruto had turned it down knowing it would be better to get Sasuke settled immediately and used a liberal amount of shadow clones to assist in getting Sasuke's things put away.

The pieces of stew beef went into the hot oil with the garlic and spices, browning it as he rinsed his hands of the blood and then chopped the vegetables. He turned the beef over to let it brown evenly. Once it was cooked to a point that pleased him, the rest of the ingredients went in and he stepped away to let it do its thing. The rice went on and he mixed the salad dressing before making the batter for the fried vegetables he was heating the fryer for.

With a decisive nod and slight grin, he knew dinner would be good. Now what about dessert?

.-.

Sasuke slumped into a seat at the dinner table as Naruto finished placing the last dish on the table.

"Ittadakimasu," they murmured together and dug in happily but tiredly. The preliminary fights had worn them out, and the resultant packing has almost been enough to push them both into exhaustion. The food was heavenly, however, and Sasuke ate readily, devouring the stew and its accompaniments with a weary eagerness. When they finished, Naruto formed a clone to pick up after him and headed for the shower. The Uchiha had already taken advantage of the spacious washroom but thought to make the offer to the other male genin for a visit to the local onsen, one last break before getting into serious training. As it was, he wasn't sure what exactly Kurenai-sensei had planned for them, she had to train all three of them or find someone to supervise for her unless they came up with something on their own. Which meant Hinata may be training with her clan and Sakura could be getting extra training from Haku-san and/or the hospital. Which left him half-tiredly thinking about rolling out his futon and half-tiredly thinking about what training he could do in the next thirty or so days.

He barely pulled up his covers before succumbing to sleep.

.-.

Sasuke woke to Naruto cooking breakfast and, after crawling his way out of a surprisingly comfortable sleep, even if he did have a traitorous S-rank nin known for experimentation after him, slumped sleepily into a spot at the kitchen table where he watched the blond hum his way through making breakfast.

"Morning, Naruto-kun," Sasuke yawned after a few moments.

"Good morning," Naruto replied back before finally moving breakfast to the table. It was traditional Japanese breakfast, something he hadn't had since he fired his last caretaker (the woman had apparently been spying on him by the civilian council and trying to manipulate him into choosing one of the worse councilmember's daughters to enter in a marriage contract with) and he dug into it eagerly.

Picking up his bowl of rice he notice the uncharacteristic side of fresh tomatoes cubed and drizzled with honey ginger dressing and smiled.

.-.

"What are you doing today Sasuke-kun?" Naruto asked after breakfast, the boy offering to do the dishes, even if Naruto did have clones to pick up after him when he was too lazy to. That wasn't too often however.

"Hn," Sasuke hummed, "Besides the dinner tonight at eight, I thought I'd take a trip to the weapon supply store, my last whetstone is worn and I could use another brace of shuriken. My fuma shuriken needs to be repaired also." He put the last dish into the drying rack.

"Hmmm, I might go with you," Naruto said, "Would you mind if I did?"

"No, should we ask the other guy genin?" Sasuke asked. "Make it a male shopping trip to make up for all the girl ones you've gone on?"

Naruto chuckled.

"Does that mean we're not going clothes shopping, there's a great sale on kimonos today." Naruto teased.

"I think I can do without," Sasuke replied dryly.

.-.

The male rookie genin turned out in mass, the exception being of course Choji though they made a point to stop in and see him, thus picking up Shikamaru who'd been visiting, and were reassured he was alright.

"Mendokusei," Shikamaru grumbled, slouching in the corner where a back wall met one of the display cases, "I want to go nap." The boy distractedly looked over some new chainmail. His own mesh was a bit flimsier than he wanted, but anything heavier was such a drag…

Standing not too far from him Shino sorted.

"You don't need new kunai or anything?" Shino asked, looking at the lazy boy sternly.

"Don't need it," Shikamaru grunted. Shino rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses and returned to inspecting a new order of shuriken. These were specialty ones made to explode with a chosen poison gas. The storage seal on it looked flimsy if the Aburame studied it closely enough, his mother and Naruto had taught him some about the craft, and discarded the idea of picking up a few to test.

A few rows over near a massive glass case, Kiba and Sasuke were arguing over the validity of swords.

"Don' see the real point in a sword, it's just like a large tanto, an' don' you already 'ave one of those?" Kiba pointed out, arms crossed behind his head and Akamaru panting from a place in his jacket, his head sticking out below Kiba's in a rather cute manner.

"It gives me longer reach," Sasuke said, "Plus you can channel stronger techniques through it to surprise enemies when they think they're out of reach."

"What element are you anyway?" The Inuzuka asked, "Your clan's famous for fire an' all, but is tha' yours?"

Sasuke blinked.

"Do you know yours?" He demanded, his hands still trying out the different weights and hefts of the swords offered. Few were chakra conductive; however he was still growing so a wakizashi that would eventually be upgraded to a katana was possible, even if it didn't conduct his chakra as precisely.

"Nah, Kakashi-sensei hasn' got us started on tha' yet. Though, I suspect he'll introduce us after chuunin exams. If we don' all pass tha' is." Kiba replied.

"Hn," Sasuke said thoughtfully, "We should get some chakra paper to test it, all of us."

"That'd be fun," Kiba agreed with a wide grin. "Now, don' you think yer a little short for a sword li' tha'?"

Sasuke growled.

"Go flirt with your boyfriend," he hissed grumpily. Kiba blinked and glanced around as Sasuke continued testing the different blades. The suggestion had been a good one and he was more than willing to follow it.

"Where's Naruto anyhow?" Kiba queried not spotting his boyfriend, though it could be expected since Naruto was a shadow even when he was distracted, his training having successfully taught him how to suppress his presence.

"He said something about sealing right?" Sasuke replied while weighing a blade thoughtfully. This one fit fairly well and was a good even weight.

"I'mma go find 'im," Kiba declared, wandering away while Sasuke was distracted.

"You do that," the last Uchiha mumbled, thoughts spinning to how difficult it would be to find a kenjutsu instructor, even if he wouldn't be able to learn much in a month. Maybe after the exams…

.-.

"Found ya," a voice chirped over Naruto's shoulder, as a pair of arms snaked around his waist and pulled him back into a firm chest.

"Hmm? Kiba?" Naruto asked distracted, his eyes were lost in the complex matrix of the next level of fuinjutsu strategy and practice. This was a bit more in depth than the one he had at home and he knew that one would soon be absconded by his boyfriend. Kiba was starting to pick up seals as a hobby, though Naruto knew that the other boy used them mainly in packing and organizing for away missions now. All of the genin did.

If they could just get to seals dealing with elemental manipulation…

Naruto yelped in surprise when his ear was suddenly nipped. Glancing up at Kiba in surprise he was startled to see a pout developing on the other boy's face.

"You're ignoring me," Kiba whined.

"Sorry," Naruto said sheepishly, "How can I make it up to you?" He offered guiltily. He really did feel bad about ignoring Kiba. He had just been so distracted by the diversity in what storage seals could do…

Another nip, this time on his lips, had him completely focusing on Kiba, a soft surprised moan slipping out quietly from between his lips.

"I've got a few ideas," Kiba said huskily. He then backed Naruto slightly into the side of a display case and then kissed him senseless.

Naruto, undoubtedly, enjoyed this immensely and barely paid attention to the book as it slipped from his lax fingers and fell with a soft thud to the ground.

With his hands free it meant he could run his hands through Kiba's coarse yet soft hair.

And he liked doing that when being kissed senseless.

.-.

Sasuke and Shino were smirking at Naruto and Kiba as Shikamaru snickered into his shoulder.

"I cannot believe you got us kicked out," Shino stated, a hint of humor in his voice, "Because you decided the best place to make out was up against a weapon shelf."

Both Kiba and Naruto flushed a dark pink, though a slightly satisfied twitch of the lips was forming into a grin on Kiba's face. Naruto merely flapped a hand at his best friend in embarrassment and shuffled the scroll containing his new sealing supplies and book into a pocket hidden in the interior of his coat. Rebuttoning his coat, he cleared his throat.

"Let's go get lunch, shall we?" Naruto said.

"Really, getting us kicked out for kissing," Shino repeated, exasperation leaking in with the not-so-well-hidden laughter. "I wonder what Okaa-san and Otou-san will say." Naruto sighed in exasperation.

"Shut up, Shino, just shut up."

.-.

That evening, came easily, the genin chattering happily with one another as their teams, respective parents and families joined them, even Konohamaru-kun showed up, readily grabbing onto Naruto and chattering into the patient blonde's ear. The real surprise of the night was the interaction between Team Gai and Hinata's family when they arrived within moments of each other.

"Uzumaki-kun," Hiashi said cordially to the diminutive genin, glancing at him and then his team in silent consideration, even Konohamaru earning a brief assessing look.

"Hiashi-sama," Naruto replied just as politely, "It is a pleasure to see you, are you well?"

"I am. Thank you for asking. May I congratulate you on your success in the chuunin exam as well as your teams? It was the only one to make it through in its entirety besides my daughter's, correct?" The rest of the room seemed to watch the interactions between the two polite characters in fascination, Kiba moving up to stand next to Naruto on his right while Shino joined him on his left. Tsume and Hana were both staring at Hiashi intently while Shibi and Sacchi merely continued on with getting people settled. The tension was cut when Team Gai joined them, Neji visibly tensing when he saw Hiashi. His gaze uneasily slid to Hinata who offered a shy, but assuring, smile.

"Uzumaki-kun," Neji said stiffly, "Thank you for the invite. My team is coming, where would you like us to sit?"

"Ah, Sacchi-oba-san is getting everyone sorted. She's over next to Shino's father, Shibi-oji-san." Harry answered readily before looking back to Hiashi apologetically and stating quite simply, "That is correct, although, we did take on the team that failed seven times prior to this, their eighth attempt being the current exams."

"A win is a win, congratulations again," Hiashi said cooly. However, Naruto could tell both Hyuuga men were uncomfortable in each other's presence even as Hiashi said sternly, "Come Hinata, Hanabi, Neji. Let us find our seats."

.-.

Sasuke thought the dinner was awkward, though going well. The whole group seemed to work around any unspoken problems and tensions, while relaxing and learning a little about each other. The clan heads were busy discussing things in their own circle, with the genin and jounin doing the same, the youngest members of the party interacting with each other.

"So what are you doing for the next month?" Sakura asked, "I mean, I haven't seen Hatake-sensei at all. Isn't he going to be there for training?" The trio blinked at her in surprise.

"We'll be reporting to our clans for training," Shino answered flatly, as if it was obvious what to expect. "The next portion of the exam is individual based, it would not do to have the sensei pick favorites and help one student over another."

"Is that true, Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura asked glancing at the woman in surprise and earning a nod.

"Yes, I set up teachers for all of you ahead of time, whether you passed or not. It also helps to familiarize you with being under the command and training with others besides me. All of the sensei do so. It's part of the application process. If the Hokage does not agree with the choices made for the ninja, he rejects the request, and we sensei have to resubmit. Usually we don't make it by the deadline, and have to wait six months for the next exam if its in a allied village. That's why promotions can happen in the field or via speciality programs. You could gain chuunin rank through the hospital, Sakura-chan, if you worked there enough and took the proper exams now that you've participated in your first Chuunin Exam, even if you do not get promoted during this examination." Kurenai extrapolated.

"Oh," Sakura said in surprise blinking. "So, you've set up trainers for Sasuke-kun and I, while Hinata-chan will work with her clan?"

"Hai," Kurenai said with a nod. "You'll be introduced tomorrow afternoon. We arranged to give you two days to allow you to recuperate from the fights and make sure no life-endangering injuries can sneak up on you."

"That's good," Sasuke said with a nod, he glanced at the other male genin.

"Is there something you wish to ask?" Shino asked calmly.

"I was wondering who would be up for an onsen visit, the males I mean," he specified when he got an arched look from his sensei.

"An onsen visit would be nice," Naruto hummed, putting down his chopsticks to hand the plate Kiba was drooling over to the doggish ninja. "Tomorrow morning perhaps?"

"It'll be great, I haven' been ta the onsen in months." Kiba agreed.

"Well, I'm going to sleep in," Ino said, glancing at Sakura who shared a nod, "Sleeping in my own bed is great after all that time in the tower. Those beds were not that comfortable."

"And she tried all of them," Shikamaru grumbled, remembering when he'd gotten shoved out of his carefully made nest so Ino could try out the bed to see if it was more comfortable. It hadn't been, but it'd taken Shikamaru time to get it back to how he liked it after she tossed and turned all over it. Ino merely sniffed and ignored Shikamaru's annoyed mumbles.

"Then you all know what's expected of you for the month roughly," Asuma said, "Now, someone hand me that dish, please?"

.-.

Naruto sighed as he enjoyed the hot water. His long hair was gathered and pinned high on his head, a hair towel wrapped around to keep the loose strands up and out of the way. Sasuke and Shino relaxed on either side while Shikamaru was unwilling dragged into a splash war with Kiba.

"Are you going to stop or am I going to have to keep using the jutsu?" Shikamaru asked as he finally used his family's special hijutsu to force Kiba to sit still. His ponytail flopped wetly into his face, and a visible tick mark appeared on Shikamaru's forehead as he glared at the paralyzed Inuzuka who still managed to make an obnoxious face at his paralyzer.

"Kiba-kun," Naruto said patiently and Kiba rolled his eyes before nodding.

"Thanks, Naruto-kun," Shikamaru drawled sarcastically releasing the jutsu and leaning back. He picked up a small wash cloth and draped it over his eyes. Sighing, he dozed.

"It's nothing," Naruto replied before huffing when Kiba made obvious puppy eyes at him. Glancing at the small hourglass he had brought to keep from staying too long, he noticed it was nearly empty and rose.

"Ah?" Shino glanced at the glass as well, "There's still ten minutes," he suggested to his brother as Kiba's mouth morphed into a pout, though he did study the naked lines of Naruto's mostly bared body appreciatively. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and attached his shadow to Kiba's again and dunked his surprised and unsuspecting face into the pool of water for Shino who had started to hum ominously, his peaceful bugs vibrating threateningly in the face of his obvious irritation.

"I need to dry my hair and go pick up a few things," Naruto replied with a laugh as his boyfriend came up sputtering when Shikamaru freed him, Shino nodding in thanks at Shikamaru, who smirked in pleasure as Kiba was distracted by making threats at his fellow brunet and Sasuke snickered. Naruto wrapped another towel around him, covering his shoulders and back partially. Kiba, finished with his threats (and released from the jutsu) surged from the water, trailing Naruto. Shino rolled his eyes, but sat back instead of following after to chaperone whatever date Kiba was about to try and start, though a smirk appeared on his face when a wail of, "NARUTO-SAMA I'M SORRY!" rent the air. His companions visibly shook as they laughed.

.-.

Kiba nursed a bruised chin and mused over how his school days' perception of Uzumaki Naruto being a quiet, fairly harmless boy was so terribly wrong. Naruto meanwhile was ignoring him as he entered a dusty, dank store. Kiba had not noticed where he was entering, thus moments after he passed through the door he was nearly knocked clear off his feet. His thoughts crashed to a halt as he clamped both hands over his nose and swearing loudly, turning the air blue as Akamaru sent up a loud wailing howl of misery.

The smells.

Oh Kami...the smells.

What the hell did Naruto need from one of the local herbal and natural medicines stores?!

.-.

Naruto sighed as he fished out a mask for Kiba who quickly slipped it on, the material thankfully muffling the overbearing scents. Poor Akamaru had been let outside, the ninken burying his snout in the dirt as he rubbed furiously in an attempt to get rid of all the strong scents overwhelming his nose.

"Ah? Naruto-kun," a low, dry voice said, a cough following. Both turned to look at the aged figure sitting on a dark wooden stool behind a small service counter in front of a veritable wall of shelves filled with glass vials, clay jars and wooden boxes holding unnamed items.

"Hikawa-sensei()," Naruto replied respectfully, "I am here to pick up my order if you have it ready," the elderly man nodded and turned away slightly as Kiba studied him. The man moved with the smooth efficiency of a shinobi, and had nimble hands for all of the fact he had sparse white hair, liver spots decorating his left check in a trio of small circles forming a triangle under his left eye, and a hunched back that spoke of his age. The old man turned back and set a heavy, brown paper wrapped package in front of Naruto who took with a smile and bow.

"Here you are," Hikawa smiled slightly, "I've already received payment." Naruto nodded.

"Hai, Sacchi-oba-san said she took care of it, thank you, Hikawa-sensei," Naruto said respectfully with another bow before grunting slightly and lifting the box. Kiba blinked but took it from Naruto earning an annoyed look that he mostly missed due to being surprised the very heavy weight of the box.

"Whaddaya got in here?! Rocks?!" Kiba groaned out, shifting so his back wasn't bearing the brunt of the weight.

"Some," Naruto and Hikawa said together. Naruto then handed over a small scroll, slipping it to Hikawa with a handshake before bowing in goodbye and leading his grumbling boyfriend out the door. Hikawa smirked and strode into the back before transforming back into a woman who looked remarkably similar to Aburame Sacchi, though her hair was much more gray than her daughter's and a few more wrinkles had formed at the corners of her unpainted lips and around twinkling hazel eyes a shade lighter than her daughter's, more green than brown.

"Ma, Sacchi-chan did well, Naru-gaki is the perfect heir," the deceptively named Hikawa laughed. Hikawa Sacchi had been a phenomenal assassin, spreading and bringing the fear of the deadly Jorogumo to those of corrupt power. As her mother before her.

Hikawa Satomi() chortled and smiled as she wondered what mischief her daughter's adopted child, and the next inheritor of the Jorogumo name, would be in and how it would one day continue on.

"I do hope they give me great grand-babies," Satomi murmured with a smirk, unknowingly sending a shiver down both Naruto's, Kiba's and Shino's backs.

.-.

Kiba returned home with a grunt of relief, having dropped Naruto off at the Aburame Compound with his stupidly heavy box thankfully dumped on Naruto's dinner table and a deep kiss for thanks leaving him dreamily drifting back to his own clan compound. Unfortunately, any further relaxation went out the window when a familiar, painted hand clamped down on his collar and dragged him off of the porch and towards the gate he had just passed through.

"GAH?!" Kiba choked out, as he flailed ineffectively against his mother and saw the amused, smirking face of his sister as she followed in their wake.

"Shut up gaki," Tsume barked out, "You're doing your clan proud by making it to the final round in the Chuunin Exams, but I gotta make sure you do use even prouder by passing as much as you can without screwing up too badly. That means training."

"What?!" Kiba squeaked as his mother let him go outside of the gate and his sister dumped a few scrolls and his now-usual mission pack containing a month worth of supplies in his lap.

His mother grinned fiercely, making both Kiba and the recently recovered Akamaru whimper fearfully.

"I'm taking you on a training trip."

Kiba unashamedly screamed for help as his mother resumed dragging his frantic body after her.

A month training with his mother?! What kami had he pissed off?!

.-.

Sasuke returned to Naruto's house to find his teacher chatting on the couch with an unfamiliar man sitting across from her. The man was older than his sensei with dark-gray hair swept up in a neat ponytail, a stern narrow face that was largely unremarkable except for a sharp, vertical scar featured at the corner of his mouth. He dressed in a plain shinobi uniform that was like most others except for the short sleeves and the familiar red spiral on his left shoulder sleeve. The one thing, however, that did draw his attention was the katana. His sensei smiled at him as he greeted the duo, already suspecting this was going to be about his training, since Naruto was not there and Shino had pointedly turned down the offer of hanging out for the afternoon, quoting a meeting with his own father as a prior assignation.

"Kurenai-sensei, Jounin-san," he said politely and accepted the seat after getting his greeting returned.

"Sasuke-kun this is my senpai and colleague, Shirakumo Hayama, an experienced Jounin who has agreed to train you for the duration of the month between the Preliminary Matches and the final portion," Kurenai-sensei said, "His specialties, I believe, will suit the training I have already established with you." Sasuke nodded, looking attentively at Shirakumo, the jounin's mouth softened slightly in approval as his dark hazel eyes met Sasuke's, the stormy gray lost in the brown.

"Your sensei has noted your interest in learning kenjutsu and elemental ninjutsu," the jounin stated quietly, "While I am not the most known shinobi in Konoha, I am one of the few blade masters we can boast, as well as sufficient in the basics of elemental manipulations of all five basic types, and proficient in Futon ninjutsu. These skills should nicely augment your gifts in taijutsu and genjutsu, as well as make your knowledge of Kaiton ninjutsu more powerful, since Futon and Kaiton combinations are stronger than regular Kaiton or Futon abilities. They will work in good combination if you ever need to use them that way with a team member." Sasuke nodded, interest and eagerness building in him.

"I would be glad to learn anything you can or are willing to teach me, Shirakumo-sensei," Sasuke stated honestly with a formal seated bow. The man smiled again.

"Good, then you can join me and my teammate Kanden Tekuno for training this month. I am sure we both will be able to teach you several things, especially since Tekuno-kun's specialty is explosions." Shirakumo stated.

Sasuke's inner-pyro grinned.

.-.

Sakura sighed as she brushed the hair from her eyes, grimacing in annoyance until finally she swept all of her hair (bangs included) back and up into a messy bun on the top of her head. Using another reference to get a difficult portion in the advance iryo-ninjutsu scroll explained she almost missed the slightly amused, subtle cough. Glancing up in surprise she met the familiar face of her occasional iryo-ninjutsu mentor, Kito-sensei, who was staring at her in humor.

"Shouldn't you be resting Sakura-chan?" The man asked, his usually dark reddish-brown hair visible for once as his dark green, almost black eyes studied her fondly. The pink haired kunoichi flushed.

"Ye-yes," she admitted sheepishly, "However, I couldn't stand not studying anymore. I already spent the last week or so off and I am feeling behind." Kito chuckled and took a seat across from where Sakura was set up in the hospital's research/medical archive.

"That's fine, Sakura-chan," Kito told her, "It is lucky that I found you so easily, though." She blinked.

"Found me?" She asked in confusion. The older shinobi chuckled, and she noticed that the man was actually dressed in casual clothes, a dark gray kimono shirt with relaxed black pants and his usual medical utility bag resting on his back. This with his uncovered hair finally clued the genin in that the man was off-duty and that she must have wasted his time by not being in an easily findable place. She blushed bright red and squeaked out an apology. "SORRY!"

Kito-sensei merely chuckled again.

"Its fine Sakura-chan, I should have known you'd be studying, and this actually only the second place I checked for you, your mother said you'd be here or at Yamanaka-chan's family shop or house. I guessed you would be here, since Yamanaka-chan was last seen leaving with her father from their store with her mother looking after them in amusement as Yamanaka-chan dragged Yamanaka-sama after her someplace." Kito-sensei told her. Sakura giggled and relaxed.

"Is there a reason you're looking for me, Kito-sensei?" She asked curiously, "I didn't think we would have any training until after the exams were over, and even then I am still not someone you would come talk to about training that far off."

"In a way you are correct," Kito-sensei admitted, "However, I am here to talk to you about training. How would you like to spend the next month as my student, Sakura-chan? Kurenai-san already approached me about training, and I thought it would be a good chance to teach you with no distractions." Sakura's eyes grew wide.

"Wh-what!?" She squeaked once more. The man grinned.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, what do you think about becoming an iryo-nin?"

.-.

Shikamaru grimaced as his mother, Yoshino, harped on him about training and his father, Shikaku, tried to avoid getting dragged into the conversation. He understood he needed to train, he knew he had to be strong and smart. Remembering what happened to Choji made the molars of his teeth grind against each other. He liked Shino, but he definitely needed to beat him if he wanted the chance to face Subaku no Temari.

"Are you listening to me, Shikamaru?" His mother snapped and Shikamaru finally snapped back.

"Get off my case! There isn't anything you can train me in kaa-san. I already know I'm gonna have to drag tou-san off to train. If anyone needs to be harped on its him!" Shikamaru growled, "I have to get past an Aburame, and tou-san can teach me how to make the necessary elemental tags to ward him off or katon jutsu. I can't rely on a hand-to-hand based fighting style, like the one you mastered, and your specialty suiton ninjutsu would only hamper not stop my opponent." Shikamaru's mother blinked in surprise at her son's determined words, a smile of surprise appearing on her face before her eyes narrowed on her retreating husband as he clearly tried to get away.

"ANATA!" Yoshino barked sharply, grabbing Shikaku's ear firmly, "Where do you think you're going?! Ah?! Your lazy son finally says he wants to train under you and you try to sneak off? Maru-kun is right! I should be nagging you! Mattaku~! You better train him seriously or I'll never let you alone anymore! No more shoji, no drinking, no going out with the guys...!" Shikaku grimaced as his ear was practically yanked off of his head as Yoshino dragged him from the porch and back into the living room.

"I wasn't going to ignore his training," Shikaku stated grouchily, giving his smirking son the stink eye. "In fact, I think I'll start on stamina and taijutsu," wiping the smirk clear off of his son's face, "He's lazy after all? He would probably just hide and try to out to think his opponent rather than impress any of the judges with any forward fighting skills." Yoshino nodded slowly in agreement.

"What both of you are thinking is correct," she stated, before glaring at them, causing both of them to straighten unconsciously, "And to make sure you're both training properly, I will spar with Maru-kun once a week to see how he is progressing as well as expect him to demonstrate at least three new fuinjutsu skills, two new family hijutsu and at least one katon jutsu to be learned by the time he is fight in the final exam portion. Am I clear?" she asked dangerously. Both Nara men hurriedly nodded. She nodded back in satisfaction and they all stared at each other for a long, silent moment before she said, "Well? GO TRAIN!"

The two scrambled away to do as ordered.

Yoshino smirked and walked towards the kitchen, knowing full well that her orders would be carried through.

"Works every time," she muttered knowing just how to whip her husband and son into action, just as her mother-in-law had taught her.

.-.

Shino and Naruto sat next to each other as both of their respective sensei studied their respective students in response.

"You boys have made us very proud," Shibi said, a small smile on his face while Sacchi just about squealed in excitement.

"For both of you to pass, it is just simply wonderful!" Sacchi agreed with a wide smile.

"Thank you for all the training you have given us so far," Naruto stated softly.

"Yes, we could not have done it without you," Shino said in agreement. Both parents beamed proudly for a brief moment, Shibi even dropping his usual stoicism to reach out and pat both boys on the shoulder warmly.

They returned to seriousness quickly though.

"Still," the two senior shinobi exchanged a glance, "We have the important matter of your training to discuss. A month is not a long time," Sacchi mused, "The time is just enough learn a few new taijutsu combinations and maybe some lower jutsu. Primarily it is a period to let you recover from your previous exam trials. No one can power up ridiculously in a month." Both genin nodded in understanding, they had been long taught that power came over the gradual expansion of skills, and that no true power came from short cut. Nothing worthwhile at least.

"Can you give us an idea on how we'll be training, sensei?" Naruto inquired curiously. Sacchi's mouth twisted into a dangerous grin.

"I have little left to teach you, Naru-chan, but I was thinking we could experiment with some new neurotoxins…" Sacchi trailed off. Naruto's own lips curled into a match for the threatening smile on Sacchi's face.

"I believe fuinjutsu flash-tags for you, Shino, and taijutsu training," Shibi stated, pointedly ignoring the ominous aura developing around the other two in the room.

"Hai, tou-san," Shino agreed, shifting slightly away from his best friend, both Aburame men stamping down the need to shudder when Sacchi began cackling.

.-.

That night rookie genin across Konoha (and one camping outside in the wilderness around it involuntarily) went to sleep with plans to grow strong and worries over the upcoming battle.

Little did they know the upcoming invasion set to happen a little over a month later, or the capture of Yakushi Kabuto and his team. The group dragged away in chains and suppression tags to the bowls of the dungeons of the Tortune and Interrogation building.

.-.

A/N 2:

Okay, if you skipped over the opening author's note. Again I'm just warning you I have no idea when the next chapter is happening. My muses are spiteful, flighty bitches.

Also for all of you who stuck it out, I am so sorry about the delays and shit. I have excuses and reasons and...Let's just say I'm really not up to getting into them. Love you all for wanting me to continue, and those who think this work is still something interesting.

Love and kisses, y'all!

Amni