Hand Signs [A Deaf Naruto Fanfiction]

Chapter Twelve: Return

Kakashi's ninken sprung from the ground and latched onto any part of Zabuza, digging their sharp teeth into whatever meat they could reach.

Kakashi may not be able to see him or smell him or locate him by ear, but his dogs could. They were what made him so deadly. Whatever sense was weak for him, or he lacked entirely, they made up for-the thought of Naruto having a partner to act as his ears crossed his mind briefly but he forced himself to file it away. He needed to focus on his opponent, this was life or death and Kakashi would be the only one walking away from this battle alive.

Of course, their noses were sharper than their ears but it made no difference to their opponent.

"If you can't use your eyes or ears… Simply use your nose. That's what happens when you're closing your eyes in the midst of fog," His voice was his typical brand of stoic with just a hint of smug. He'd been faced with several opponents who'd tried similar tactics and while he couldn't sense chakra the way Naruto could, he had an advantage of his own. "This is the summoning jutsu specialized for pursuit. I deliberately shed my own blood to stop your attacks both times for this. Your weapons have the thick scent of my blood on them now and my adorable Ninken's sense of smell is unrivaled. You're the one who's been playing into my hands. The fog has lifted already, and your future… is death."

He'd always been one for the dramatics. If you're going to go out, or take someone out, do it with bang, right?

"I've had enough of your bluffs!" But Kakashi wasn't bluffing, though he supposed denial was a natural reaction to being skilled, in some way. "Don't act tough!

The sharingan wielding jounin despised taking lives but sometimes it was necessary, at the very least it would be quick and relatively painless.

"There's nothing you can do in this situation," He almost managed to sound as apologetic as he felt. Circumstance was a powerful thing. "Your death is imminent. Zabuza, you were too full of yourself. You're too ambitious for your own good. Do you really believe I've managed to survive with my Sharingan alone? Here's something I didn't copy… A Jutsu of my own making to enlighten you."

Kakashi formed the seals and lightning crackled around him forming a concentrated ball of electricity and chakra around his hand. The sound was like a flock of birds and just by looking at him, the silver haired jounin could tell the missing nin was scared.

"Raikiri!"

Zabuza was simply too dangerous to leave alive. Whether or not it was just a job for the other jounin, it had become much more than that to Team 7. Tazuna was a symbol of courage for Wave Country and Gato simply couldn't be allowed to win. Normally he wouldn't resort to killing his opponent so early on. Death was permanent, there was no coming back from a chidori to the heart (he'd done it before, afterall). However, Zabuza, by killing Tazuna, would also indirectly be killing countless others as well.

Naruto never expected to hear (read?) the older shinobi's life story but he couldn't help but find their situations similar. Orphaned. Abandoned. Alone. Until someone came along and made them not alone. He wasn't a Jinchuuriki, and none of his goals were really his own but Naruto could see that the base was similar. Of course, the feminine teen also received training from an early age from one of the best shinobi of his village. His skills were honed to perfection and if Naruto wasn't perfectly happy with the family he'd created he might've been jealous of the opportunity life had presented him and not the blond.

His life goals were noble, but he was a person. The brunette wasn't a tool, he had a life of his own and feelings and he should've had dreams beyond just helping someone else reach their own goals. It wasn't a bad thing, and Naruto definitely understood the feeling of total gratefulness (he felt it toward Iruka-sensei every single day) but what the other teen felt was something else.

Total devotion to another person. Naruto didn't know if it was romantic (it could've been, but he tended to be pretty oblivious to those things when they didn't involve super obvious fangirls and a certain Uchiha). It didn't have to be.

What bothered the blond the most, though, was the possibility that Zabuza didn't return those feelings. Obviously he wouldn't share the gratefulness or devotion in the same way, but if the swordsman only thought of the boy as a tool then it was a problem for Naruto. Shinobi, by definition, were tools for their village but they were also people. No one deserved being treated as something replaceable-it was a feeling Naruto himself was quite familiar with and it was terrible. The unmasked boy deserved to be valued by the one he valued most, especially after he went through so much work trying to make him better after Zabuza's fight with Kakashi-sensei.

He mentioned, somewhere in his very long story, that if things had been different then they could've been friends-that it was just a job. Naruto figured that pretty early on but what could he do with it? He didn't actually know much about Gato besides the fact that he was a sleazeball. There was no way he could be trusted.

Bingo.

He didn't know if the older, more skilled boy would listen to anything, he didn't even know if he'd be able to actually communicate effectively, but there was one way to put a stop to it-and it still followed the mission.

Afterall, wasn't getting rid of the one hiring the gangs and shinobi to kill the bridge builder the same as protecting him? As far as Naruto knew, that was the case, but he wasn't exactly the best at nuances-that was Shikamaru's job and as his lazy friend would say…

This was troublesome.

There wasn't much he could say to persuade him to leave Zabuza, but there had to be a way to get them both to stop listening to Gato.

It all happened so quickly, Naruto wasn't even entirely sure he understood what happened.

Returning to the village was...relieving-something Naruto never thought he'd ever say until recently.

Their mission's difficulty was bumped from a C-rank to an A-rank due to the jounin level threats they'd encountered (in addition to the Chunin level threats) and they somehow succeeded. Jiji had been particularly worried when he found out about everything, but since Naruto was allowed to get three extra bowls of ramen the next time they went to Ichiraku he figured he was forgiven. Iruka-nii (as he'd taken to calling him, since they were no longer teacher and student) was even more worried. He demanded to check the blond for injuries, he chose to avoid telling him about the hole he put in his hand since it was healed anyway, and barely let him out of his sight for the following days.

He ended up coming back to an apartment that smelt like something died inside because of the rotting food. Chunky milk, rotting fruits and vegetables, smelly meats-the only thing that survived was his cup ramen.

(Luckily he was basically living with Iruka-sensei now anyway and he was always determined to make sure Naruto ate well.)

When he first got back, both Shikamaru and Choji's team and Shino's team were on C-ranks of their own so he couldn't tell them about his mission until later. Gai-sensei and Lee, however, were in the village and easily tracked him down while he was tending to his plants.

"Naruto-kun! You've returned with your powerful flames of youth!" Lee's loud voice easily reached Naruto's ears. It was clear and distinct and the two spandex-clad shinobi were probably the only ones besides Kurama who'd ever managed such a thing (though the fox was in a very different situation).

"Lee! Gai-sensei!" Naruto spoke as he signed the name signs he'd thought up for the pair-"Eyebrow" and "Green" respectively. Gai-sensei's wasn't that original but he was still working on it. Naming things had never been a strong suit of his, especially in this manner.

He was keeping Lee's though, it made them both laugh too much to change it any time soon even if it was unoriginal too.

"Naruto-kun! I heard your mission was successful!" Gai grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

The blond nodded enthusiastically and went on to explain everything. How they were ambushed by the demon brothers. How he cut himself to bleed out the poisoning (and begging them not to tell Iruka). How they fought Zabuza of the Bloody Mist and his partner twice and came out victorious-he chose to omit how that part of the story ended but that was purely out of respect for the pair. How Naruto got a bridge named after him, something that Lee found particularly exciting. Best of all, he told them about how he gained the old drunk, Tazuna, and his grandson's acknowledgement and changed their minds about him.

Both bowl cut haired shinobi were well aware of Naruto's treatment around the village, even without knowing about his disability (which was really only a disability because he was a shinobi). They knew how much he wanted to be acknowledged and both understood it, to an extent. Both Gai and Lee were eccentric and considered annoying by their peers, and while they weren't shunned, there weren't many people who enjoyed their company. Naruto did-especially because he could hear them clearly-and Lee got along with his other friends as well which was also nice.

They ended up spending the rest of the day, after Naruto finished with his plants, sparring. Lee was hard to keep up with even with his weights and Naruto was getting faster. He still couldn't out-speed him, not yet. Lee had been training with weights for much longer than Naruto and excelled at Taijutsu. His improvement, especially since his C-turned-A rank, was clear to both and when they mentioned how he could be good enough to pass the Chunin exams, Naruto was at a loss for words.

Few people had that much confidence in his abilities, and while he knew Iruka-nii didn't doubt him, he was protective and would likely insist he wasn't ready even knowing he really was. Shikamaru, Choji and Shino were also supportive and being around them was much better than being around his teammates who were constantly telling him how much he wasn't good enough. Kakashi-sensei was trying to support them but to Naruto, it was more than clear who the favorite was. The cyclops was, at least, respectful of his deafness and of his wish to keep it a secret for now. As aloof as he tried to act it was obvious that he and most of the older shinobi were also aware of the citizens' dislike of Naruto and the consequences of them finding out would be anything but good. Some older kids had already taken advantage of his naivety with the intention of getting him hurt, in the best case scenario, or killed at worst. Not to mention the teacher who tried to kill him in cold blood out of his hatred.

Really it was best to keep it between those he could trust until he was more accepted.

Team 10 returned from their mission before Team 8, and while Naruto wanted to wait for Shino to tell them all about his adventure in Wave Country, he did want to spend time with his friends. Naruto and his team were gone for a while, almost three weeks total, and he hadn't had any contact with his precious people in that time.

Shikamaru and Choji's mission went exactly as planned with no surprises, which wasn't surprising in itself since it was just a C-rank and Naruto struggled to keep his own locked in. It wouldn't be fair to leave Shino out when he had so much to tell them. They got barbeque and watched clouds (and shared chips) while they waited for Shino's return.

The bug user returned with his team in tow-Hinata and, unfortunately, Kiba with their sensei Kurenai. She was pretty with wavy black hair and red eyes. According to Shino, she was a master at Genjutsu and Naruto made the decision to never end up on her bad side. Genjutsu was his weakest area and he had no intention of getting caught in one by a master. Ever.

With the last member of their quartet, Naruto told them what he told Gai and Lee with just as much enthusiasm-especially when it came to his brilliant attack strategy and Sasuke actually working with him and not on his own. Not only did he want his genius friend's approval of his strategy, he wanted as many people as possible to know that Uchiha Sasuke voluntarily went along with the Dobe's plan. Sasuke would undoubtedly get mad but Naruto had too few good things happen to him to pass up the opportunity to truly tease the older boy.

"Wow, Naruto-kun! You're really proficient with shadow clones and transformations." Choji commented as he explained how he turned himself into a shuriken. It was an enormous compliment considering the ridicule he used to recieve for those same techniques (well, the normal clone at least).

Naruto loved his shadow clones. For one, they were actually useful. They were solid, real copies of himself and could do anything he could and more due to the massive numbers he could create. He wasn't actually sure why they were easier than regular clones-maybe because they were illusions and he sucked at those too? But he was and he enjoyed it. They also made training and doing really anything a lot easier and faster. Even if receiving a mass of memories at once could leave him with a temporary pounding headache.

Shikamaru didn't directly compliment him like Choji did but the look on his face said enough. Reading emotions was something that came naturally to Naruto and the impressed look in the Nara's dark eyes said everything he needed to know. He was practically vibrating with the praise-coming from a genius it said a lot to know that his strategy was impressive and Naruto was going to bask in the glory of it.

They talked about the Chunin Exams, about if they were ready about whether or not their teachers would enter them. Shikamaru seemed confident in Naruto's abilities but he, along with Choji and Shino, were worried that his lack of a relationship with his teammates would cause any issues. They were going to be entered as a team and while promotions were individual, teamwork was a major factor-something that Team 7 lacked most of the time. Sasuke, because he believed it was beneath him and Sakura because of Sasuke. At least Ino, despite her own fangirl tendencies, worked with her team-no matter how little or how reluctant. Shino was lucky enough to have Hinata, who was the only girl he'd ever met who wasn't a Sasuke fangirl, even if he did have to deal with Kiba on a regular basis. At least the mutt had his cute puppy with him. If Naruto had been stuck with him instead of one of his current teammates, that probably would've been his method of coping. Akamaru always liked him, much to Kiba's chagrin and the puppy was cute which Kiba was not. They probably could've been good friends if not for Kiba being so… arrogant, even though he was barely better than Naruto at school work and didn't have the excuse of not being able to hear. Especially since his hearing was probably better than anyone in their class'-though probably not as good as the rest of his clan's yet.

It would be unfair if Naruto weren't so used to his own problem that he thought everyone was like that. Except the Inuzukas, obviously with their canines and canine-like abilities their senses were heightened regardless.

Naruto tried to be objective about who could possibly be promoted to Chunin after the exams, he really did, but he couldn't see Kiba getting promoted just yet. Shino's agreement with him was his only saving grace from thinking he was being some kind of prejudiced. He couldn't really see Sakura or Ino being promoted just yet either-maybe if they stopped focusing on Sasuke and focused on their training insead but not now. Naruto would put money on Shikamaru and even Shino getting promoted, both were very smart and calculating. Hinata was too shy and, like Choji (and himself, even if he didn't want to admit it), lacked the self confidence they would be looking for. Naruto was pretty sure any attempt to promote him would be shot down by anyone who could open their mouths but all three of the boys in front of him (and Lee, when they talked earlier) said that he'd be fine.

Naruto was pretty sure Lee would be promoted too, but worried that they would focus too much on his inability to use chakra. He was an amazing fighter and deserved the promotion just like any other Genin.

They didn't even know if they were being put into the exams yet-though Shikamaru seemed pretty confident Asuma-sensei would be putting in his team (Naruto learned a long time ago that he was almost always right and didn't doubt him).

He could only hope Kakashi-sensei had the same faith in them that Asuma had in Shikamaru and his team.

When they resumed taking missions, nothing compared to their trip to Wave County. They weren't even difficult missions-barely missions at all as far as Naruto was concerned. As soon as they were able, Hokage-jiji had them back on D-ranks and whatever comradery they had in Wave diminished back to what it had been before.

The Chunin Exams weren't too far off, only a few weeks away, and despite everything, Naruto wasn't sure they were going to be ready.

He wasn't going to let that stop him from trying his best.

~(*)~

Iruka wasn't sure he wanted Naruto to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams. He, of course, wanted the blond to be a successful Shinobi but he couldn't help but worry. The brunette knew that despite his disability and his struggles, Naruto was strong and he would only get stronger. However, Naruto was still a rookie. He'd only been a true Shinobi for a few months and had only barely survived his team's accidental A-rank (if not for that then he might have actually died. Iruka honestly never thought he'd ever be grateful for such a thing) and the Chunin Exams were dangerous. It was Genin from other villages all testing together, fighting each other, competing against each other. Some kids died trying to get the promotion-honestly Iruka didn't think it was worth it when you could still get a field promotion.

There was also the simple fact that Naruto's teammates had no idea that the blond couldn't hear. His friends did, and Iruka had no doubt that they would do their best to protect him (he would do the same for them too, it was really a shame that he didn't end up on a team with any of them) but it wasn't the same.

At least his potential enemies didn't know either.

Of course, Iruka's worries made little difference. He wasn't Naruto's legal guardian (he wanted to be, the kid was practically family) and he was no longer his teacher. He had no legal authority to say "no" and he knew the blond would protest if he tried to convince him to wait. He trusted Naruto, he loved Naruto and he knew how important this was to him.

He still worried, though.

Even if it made Kakashi look just a little more smug to voice that worry.

(He might be psychic too because he started calling Iruka a worried mom.)

He wasn't a worried mom.

(He was totally a worried mom.)

(Kakashi was definitely becoming a proud dad after the situation in Wave Country, though).

~(*)~

After yet another mission of pulling weeds out of gardens (and painting a fence), Naruto attempted to invite his teammates for lunch. Their refusal wasn't unexpected but it didn't stop the ache he felt in his chest. They weren't friends, so he shouldn't be surprised-and he wasn't, not really-but it still hurt.

Some things just seemed like they would never change.

Sasuke started to walk away until Sakura stopped him to ask something-probably a date, or just having lunch alone together instead of with Naruto. Her back was turned to him so she couldn't see the look on his face, not that she'd care, but it also meant he couldn't hear or read what she was saying either.

The Uchiha turned and while he missed a good majority of what he said, Naruto managed to catch the last part.

"-worse than Naruto!"

The blond probably should've defended her, as her teammate, but Naruto was just grateful that even though Sasuke refused to accept that he wasn't the failure he'd been in the academy, he was still better than Sakura. Because it was true. Sakura was a master of memorization but that would do little for you if you couldn't execute it. What good is it to be the best Kunoichi in class if you're only the best on paper? She could do the three basic jutsu and memorize books and lectures, but she couldn't defend herself in a fight, let alone the client.

If they weren't placed on teams she'd never survive (Naruto probably wouldn't yet either, but even being deaf, he still was miles ahead in self defence-it was a consequence of training with Gai and Lee).

Sakura drooped at his response but didn't say anything. After being told she was worse than him, anything Naruto had to say would only make her angry because she didn't see how much he'd changed either. Neither of his teammates could see that the idiot they knew in the academy was gone (he barely even existed because it was hardly his fault in the first place).

He'd never be anything more to them than the idiot deadlast until he did something especially great. One or two successful plans on an incredibly dangerous mission would mean nothing to them because both thought they could do the same. In order to truly prove himself to them, he'd need to do something neither of them could-and even that was likely to fail.

Knowing his luck, they'd either scoff and call it a fluke or get angry that the deadlast succeeded where they failed

Kakashi-sensei poofed away leaving him alone with Sakura… until a square, cardboard rock crept up behind him.

He couldn't hear their giggling, or the scraping of the box with the stone path but he could feel them. It was something he was getting used to, a side effect of housing Kurama within his body.

According to the fox, it was the reason he could read the emotions of others so well-because to a certain degree he could also feel it. He was just glad that it didn't apply to the fox himself. Kurama had been on edge for the last couple of hours and if Naruto had to deal with it on top of his own anxiety then he'd probably combust. Apparently it was only supposed to be negative emotions he could sense, but he could feel positive ones too. They were more subtle, but Naruto suspected it was his body's way of compensating for his hearing issues. Or maybe some god took pity on him and decided to help him out.

It didn't always work and it was hard to put a distance on it-Kurama said it would improve over time-but it was something.

Naruto felt his eyebrow twitch as he stared at the box, holes cut out in the front for eyes, random organic shapes drawn on in marker to give it a rock like appearance and square edges. Just like any real rock you'd see, right?

He turned, pretending to ignore the box and took a few steps forward. The box, and those hiding underneath followed, keeping a small distance between the blond and the fake rock.

He ran, the box wobbling as it followed.

He ran a few laps, each faster than the last, until he finally stopped. The box skidded to a stop as its inhabitants attempted to avoid colliding with him.

Naruto squinted down at the box with his hands on his hips. Kurama told him he looked like an annoyed mother but he ignored him. If the brats thought they were fooling anyone with their cardboard box they were sorely mistaken. Not even a civilian would be fooled by it and it was way better for them to learn these things now than later.

He had no doubt that Iruka-sensei would teach them well but Naruto would rather they didn't make fools of themselves like he had. They would have a much easier time living it down than he did, thanks to the reputation he developed and certain opinions that parents had passed down. Plus, Konohamaru was Hokage-jiji's grandson.

The fact that he actually cared about the brats, especially Konohamaru, were like younger siblings to him was only part of it.

"There's no such thing as a perfectly square rock with perfectly cut holes and there's no such thing as a rock that follows people!" Naruto put on his best disappointed face and signed furiously as he spoke. "It's totally obvious!"

The box shook as if it was laughing but if any sound was coming out, Naruto was oblivious to it.

The box suddenly exploded, pink, purple and yellow smoke blocking his vision. When it cleared, the small forms of Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon took shape, hunched over and choking on the fumes they'd created.

Naruto understood. When he first started playing pranks he'd used too much power or had premature explosions. Though by the time he was eight, he'd had those problems sorted…

They noticed Naruto's staring after a moment and sprung into action as if the mishap with the gunpowder never happened.

"With an adult sexiness! I'm Moegi!" The ginger haired girl struck a pose and Naruto wondered where she'd even heard the word sexy.

It was kind of gross and he'd definitely need to have someone talk to her about that because she was way too young-kids his age were too young.

"I love factoring! Udone" The glasses boy with the runny nose also struck a pose.

While Naruto found math to be incredibly boring, it was better than the kid thinking he had the sexiness of an adult. He'd never get over how strange these kids were-Naruto just hoped their behavior wasn't blamed on him because he didn't teach them that.

"The most brilliant ninja in the village! Konohamaru!" He'd… also need to talk to Konohamaru about that because he wasn't even an actual ninja yet (not to mention the cardboard box rock…).

Plus the most brilliant shinobi in the village was probably the Hokage… not even in a biased way but it was kind of his job to be. He wasn't called The Professor and The God of Shinobi for nothing.

"The three of us together are the Konohamaru Gang!" They said at once, signing before striking a final pose as a group.

The green goggles on each of their heads glinted in the sun, drawing the attention of the blue eyed blond.

"I knew it was Konohamaru and friends…" Naruto muttered to himself, holding his hands behind his head.

"Why are you all wearing goggles?" He asked, habitually signing as he spoke with his head tilted to the side.

Konohamaru grinned at him proudly, adjusting the goggles-the other two doing the same thing.

"We're just copying what you used to do, nii-san!" He looked so proud of that too, they all did.

Naruto was touched. No one had ever looked up to him before. Those who didn't despise him, pitied him and those who didn't do either still looked down on him. These kids, who knew about his disability (which, really, was only a disability while he was on missions) and his time in the academy, saw him as someone they could learn from. Someone they wanted to be like.

It felt like the start of the change he'd dreamed of since he was little. He didn't need the entire village to acknowledge him when he had this.

(That didn't mean he didn't want the way the village looked at him to change.)

"Oh…" He couldn't hear it, but he meant it in the kind of way that expresses absolute awe and gratitude.

Apparently that didn't come across (or Konohamaru was too young to understand).

"Hey! What's with the oh! Your reactions have been pretty cold these days!"

Considering the last time he saw Konohamaru and company was just after coming back from Wave, that made sense.

Naruto still didn't know why they were looking for him-and he knew they were looking for him. They only ever attempted to use disguises when they were looking for him.

"So… did you want something?"

Konohamaru slid over to Udon and whispered something to the taller boy. Moegi stepped up.

"So, boss! Do you have some free time now?"

Naruto scratched his chin.

"Well… I was planning to train…" Something was telling him that his plans to train weren't going to happen.

And it wasn't Kurama.

"What?!" Konohamaru cried out loudly-he didn't sign but Naruto still heard him. "You said you would play Ninja with us today!"

He signed the last part, thankfully.

He didn't remember saying today but they were kids (kids who looked up to him!). Even if it did mean that training today was out of the question because he'd never get away from them.

Sakura, still gloomy from the harsh reality Sasuke threw her in-who he honestly forgot was still there-walked unsteadily up to them, muttering under her breath. Udon signed what she was saying for him.

"Why would a Ninja play Ninja?"

Obviously it was because they were kids and he liked them. Because they looked up to him and respected him in a way no one else did. Because that was what older siblings did?

He was kind of glad she didn't have younger siblings with that kind of attitude.

The look on the pinkette's face told him that voicing that was probably a bad choice. Instead he rubbed his neck nervously as he asked what she wanted.

Her dead stare became a glare and he fought the urge to look down. She was probably thinking about what Sasuke told her.

A small hand tugged his sleeve.

"Naruto-niichan, who's she?" The small brunette turned to meet Sakura's green eyes of death before turning to face the blond once more. "Is she your… girlfriend?"

Showing disgust was a bad idea and he only barely managed to hold it back.

"No," He made sure it was firm, and tried to make it inoffensive to his female teammate. "She's one of my teammates."

Sakura wasn't listening, and probably assumed he'd say yes anyway.

"No way!" She clocked him in the face.

He flew back and crashed into the wooden fence behind them.

Moegi and Udon came to help him and Konohamaru attempted to defend his honor (or something, Naruto couldn't tell. The kid just looked angry).

Faintly he could hear something. It sounded like the word ugly and -ench? He couldn't tell what the other word was but he knew what would be coming next despite that.

Naruto just hoped that Sakura wouldn't punch an eight year old with the strength she used to punch him. He wiped the blood from his mouth and spit some to the side. She might actually kill Konohamaru if she did and then he'd be out a teammate (and wouldn't be able to participate in the Chunin Exams even if they did get nominated) because she'd be charged as a terrorist for killing the Hokage's grandson.

She cracked her knuckles and Konohamaru screamed.

Luckily she did lighten the hit-that in no way meant that it was okay to hit a kid what really didn't do anything wrong. Konohamaru hugged Naruto tight, clinging to his jumpsuit as he held in his tears while the blond rubbed his back. Sakura marched away without a care while Moegi and Udon were torn about who to worry about.

"Damn that broad foreheaded ugly wench! Was she a girl for real?" The words were out (and lip-read) before either of them realized it and Sakura stopped mid-step.

She turned back slowly, twitching, with an evil grin on her face. She tore after them and Naruto, Konohamaru and co bolted, the young Sarutobi pulling ahead (as the person who said it, not once but twice, he was in the most danger).

He wasn't paying attention to what was in front of him, too busy looking back to make sure Sakura was a good distance away. He hit the person before Naruto could voice a warning.

Konohamaru fell to the ground from the impact but the older boy didn't even stumble. It was surprising since Konohamaru was small but the black clad teen he ran into wasn't huge, nor was he really bulky or super sturdy looking. Neither he nor the girl standing beside him looked happy and when Naruto got closer he felt...something.

It was dark and intense and it made him itch under his skin, made him never want to sleep again.

The boy Konohamaru ran into had a… Cat ear hood? He wore a full body black jumpsuit with a cat ear hood and purple makeup-face-paint-stuff with something fluffy wrapped up on his back. The girl had spiky, dirty blond hair done up in four sections with a fishnet shirt under her off-shoulder purple dress and red sash. She had a… thing on her back and her forehead protector around her neck. She had her hands on her hips while she glared down at Konohamaru.

From the forehead protector, Naruto knew they weren't from Konoha-meaning they were there for the Chunin Exams. The symbol, if Naruto remembered correctly, was for Suna. The Sand. The desert.

(How did makeup-cat-boy wear that in the desert? Didn't he get hot?)

The boy said something Naruto couldn't make out before he grabbed Konohamaru by his scarf and lifted him up so they were eye level.

"That hurt, -unk!" Konohamaru struggled against the teen's grip.

"Stop -at. -ou'll get yelled -later." The spiky blond girl warned and Naruto stepped up.

"You should really put him down, you know." They were from a different village, so they didn't know, but if he got caught doing that by someone else, they could get disqualified from the exams.

Kitty Ears said something else but Konohamaru-who he was still holding-was blocking his view. He kicked his feet in an attempt to get him to let go and the smirk on the stranger's face made the anger within him boil. Status or not, Konohamaru was his friend, practically his little brother and there was no way in hell he was going to let this foreign shinobi bully him.

He walked over as calmly as possible, trying to keep Kurama's chakra from leaking out against their will.

"You know you're threatening the Hokage's grandson, right?"

Kitty Ears and Spiky suddenly looked like they had been sucking on lemons and through the suffocating darkness he could feel taking over the area he could feel two additional presences hiding in the tree beside them. Watching them. He dropped Konohamaru who came running into his arms once again with a cry.

"Nii-chan!"

Naruto rubbed the eight year old's back slowly, turning his attention to the tree just to the right of them, where he could feel their eyes, their presence.

In the tree there was a familiar presence and the other was the source of the darkness. As he got closer Kurama's unease became stronger until he went silent and the darkness lessened considerably. Sasuke. One of the two was Sasuke (of course it was). The other was dry like the desert-probably the pair in front of them's third teammate-and dark like the night. Something about the darkness coming from the hidden stranger was familiar, but he couldn't place it

"Shukaku…" The no longer napping fuzzball within him growled out the name. It meant nothing to Naruto, it wasn't one he recognized, but Kurama certainly did.

He could only wonder what it meant, to have a being of pure chakra so angry and on edge about the owner of it.

Before Spikey and Kitty Ears could respond to his comment (although dropping Konohamaru was enough of an answer for Naruto) a voice broke in.

"Kankuro, stop that."

It was quiet, but strong and deep and pierced through whatever was wrong with his ears and touched Naruto to his core. The temperature dropped with the appearance of the pale redhead standing upside down on one of the branches in the tree beside them. His eyes were a pale teal and blank, rimmed with black like a raccoon and he carried a large gourd on his back.

Absentmindedly, Naruto brought his tan fingers to his whisker marked cheeks.

Even before Kurama told him he already knew.

They were the same.

"That boy, he's like you."

He could sense it to his core.

But they were also different. Deep in the redhead's ringed eyes Naruto could see the same loneliness that swam in his own. The looks of fear on his teammates' faces told him everything he needed to know.

There was a reason the younger generation wasn't told, why it was Naruto's decision on when to tell them. He had little doubt that his own teammates would be walking on eggshells around him if they knew the truth (or they would disregard it in some way, mock the power that he held within him like they already did).

"He holds Shukaku, the Ichibi." The information was stored but Naruto was barely paying attention, thrown by the simple fact that there was someone else like him.

Kurama had, of course, told him about the other eight Bijuu and that different villages across the world had a Jinchuuriki, just like Konoha had him.

Knowing wasn't the same thing as seeing it before his eyes.

Because if there was anyone out there who could possibly understand the pain he went through before Jiji, Iruka-sensei and his friends came into his life, it was him.

He was so deep into his train of thoughts he barely registered Sasuke emerging from his hiding spot in the tree as well. From what he did notice, Sasuke hadn't known anyone else was in the tree with him. Naruto wondered how no one else could feel that, wondered if it was because he was a Jinchuuriki.

Only the other Jinchuuriki speaking again broke him from his thoughts.

"You're an embarrassment to our village. Why do you think we came all the way to Konohagakure?"

His words were cutting, harsh, but he wasn't wrong. To be so volatile toward a child in a foreign village while you were there for something as important as the Chunin Exams was idiotic-especially when that child was the Hokage's grandson. If Naruto or Sakura or even Konohamaru and his little gang decided to tell someone, they (or at least the one the redhead called Kankuro) could get into real trouble. Maybe even get their team disqualified from the exams.

"-aara… -ease -isten! T-they lashed out first…" Kitty Ears-Kankuro stuttered out loudly in an attempt to placate his angry teammate whose name he didn't catch.

"Shut up!"

The boy in the tree wasn't having any of it, which Naruto could understand-especially since the redhead had been there from the beginning and knew that all that had happened was a child ran into his legs. Naruto was pretty sure Kankuro hadn't even budged when Konohamaru had hit him.

Sweat dripped down Kankuro's makeup-covered face and Naruto could practically smell the fear pouring off of the older boy. It was sad. Naruto was sure that if his teammates were afraid of him, he'd probably be withdrawn and upset too. He wondered how Suna treated him, if they all knew about his burden.

Because it was.

He loved Kurama, but being his Jinchuuriki was-as the same implied-a sacrifice. Because people couldn't see the difference between the vessel and what it contained, because people tend to fear what they don't understand. What Konoha understands is that on the night of October tenth, the Kyuubi destroyed the village and killed a lot of people-including the Yondaime Hokage. He considered himself lucky that it was kept a secret (even if he was slightly bitter about pretty much being the last to know, considering Kurama was sealed in him). At least he didn't have to deal with looks of fear from his friends, peers, teammates-especially since adults seemed to hate him more than fear him.

He loved Shikamaru, Shino, Choji, and Lee. They were his best friends and he wasn't sure where he'd be without them. But they could never understand what it meant to be a Jinchuuriki. Maybe he could find a friend in someone who did understand and maybe he could be a friend-maybe even his first friend?-to the redhead in return.

"Understood! I was wrong! I'm sorry... I'm really sorry." Short phrases with familiar words were much easier to read than names (and practicing lip reading with Iruka-sensei helped immensely).

Naruto didn't seem to need to use that with the redhead. His voice was foggy, not completely clear but he could hear it better than any other person he'd met (without yelling, of course).

The raccoon eyed Genin turned to Naruto and Konohamaru (with Sakura, Moegi and Udon trailing behind).

"I'm sorry about that…"

Pale jade met sky blue and for a moment they just stared at each other. Naruto had no idea if the Suna nin had a good relationship with the beast within him, if they spoke like he and Kurama did. Naruto did his best to give him the most understanding look possible, hoping that somewhere under the walls he'd built to protect himself he'd know that there was someone like him.

It wasn't necessarily a good thing. Being hated and feared by everyone was awful and Naruto would never wish a life like that on anyone. Despite that, the blond didn't think there was anyone out there who didn't want there to be someone who understood. No one truly wants to be alone. Even if it protects you from being hurt by others, the loneliness you feel is a pain all on its own.

Naruto wondered what was going through the redhead's mind as he observed him.

Suddenly the desert native shinobi disappeared in a swirl of sand, reappearing by the other members of his team. It was only seeing him standing before them that he noticed his height. Compared to the pair who'd threatened Konohamaru, he was short-Naruto's height, if not a bit taller. It was refreshing to see someone, especially a boy, who was as small as he was (though by now he wasn't as thin as he had been before and he did grow taller-thanks, Iruka-nii). The closest person he knew to his height was Hinata and she was still taller than him. If this boy was taller, it was by a fraction of a centimeter-probably the smallest height gap he'd ever had. They looked to be about the same age too.

Maybe it was weird but Naruto liked that they were the same height. He liked being able to look straight at someone, not up at them while they looked down on him. Like Sasuke and even Kiba. Shino was the tallest boy in their class, and Lee was only a couple centimeters taller but they were different. They didn't look at him like he was less than them but as an equal.

When the other Jinchuuriki looked at him, it was with curiosity and something else. Something dark but familiar. Naruto couldn't put his finger on what it was.

The redhead turned to his teammates.

"Let's go," It wasn't a suggestion, but a command. "We didn't come here to play around."

Both responded, likely with I know, before turning to follow him to wherever they had to go. Maybe an inn, maybe to meet with their sensei.

They made it two steps before Sakura ran out in front of him with a high pitched Hold it!

The trio stopped dead in their tracks but didn't turn around.

"What is it?" The voice, despite Naruto not being able to see his mouth, reached the blond's ears with a clarity he wasn't used to anywhere but in his own mind.

He couldn't hear what Sakura said to them, the words jumbled together and he couldn't see her face but Udon was kind enough to sign enough for him to get the gist.

She was trying to sound intelligent, and she was, but she should know exactly why they were in the village as the academy's Top Kunoichi. Sakura clung to that title, as if it meant anything in the real world just like Sasuke clung to his title of Rookie of the Year and they both clung to Naruto's status as Deadlast. It was clear just looking at the trio, that they were stronger-especially the redhead. If they were in the village illegally, and they had any brains in their skulls, they wouldn't be wearing their headbands showing their home village-not to mention how much their clothes stuck out. Naruto wore orange, and yes the bright color stood out, but the style of the Suna team's clothes was clearly not from Konoha.

Apparently Sakura forgot that the only way to enter the village, besides wall hopping, which was clearly not how they entered (unless they really were dumb, but Naruto doubted it), was through the gates. Which meant they had to talk to whoever was on duty there-probably Izumo and Kotetsu, the two of them used to chase him after his pranks a lot- and be allowed in.

As he expected, the trio turned around and showed their stamped passports, clearly showing that they were allowed in the village-for the Chunin Exams no less.

When they turned to walk away again, Sasuke stopped them.

He didn't catch what his teammate said but he did see the spikey haired girl, Temari, as her passport said, turn around blushing to respond.

Sasuke scowled and pointed to the youngest of the Sand trio. He wanted the redhead's name.

"I'm Sabaku no Gaara… Gaara of the desert…" His eyes stayed on Sasuke for a moment before falling on Naruto.

"What's your name?"

Naruto froze for a second, not expecting to be addressed, but Sasuke answered as if it never happened. Gaara scowled but didn't acknowledge him, still staring at the youngest member of Team 7 and drawing everyone else's attention toward him as well.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

They continued to stare before Gaara turned and began walking away once again, his teammates in tow.

Konohamaru and his gang looked up at Naruto with something akin to awe while his teammates stared at him in annoyance. Sasuke because, for whatever the reason may be (though he suspected its name was Shukaku), Gaara was more interested in Naruto than himself. It was a rare thing, for someone to prefer Naruto to Sasuke (though he knew that Konohamaru and co along with his friends and Iruka-sensei preferred him as well) and for all Sasuke scowls at the attention, it was obvious he reveled in it. Sakura was annoyed on behalf of her precious Sasuke-kun because how dare Naruto steal the attention from him?

Sometimes he wondered why he even tried with them (then he remembered that without them, he couldn't participate in the Chunin Exams-no solo missions, or missions with literally anyone else, until he was promoted).

When Naruto and his teammates were called for a team meeting at the bridge with their sensei, Naruto had high hopes. They were told they wouldn't be training or having any missions so he had his fingers crossed the whole walk to the meeting spot.

He had to take part in the Chunin exams. He knew the likelihood of him actually passing was slim,especially as a rookie pretty much fresh out of the academy. Even if he and his teammates didn't pass, the experience would be good-especially coming out of a mission like that. Of course, their likelihood of passing was even slimmer because of their poor teamwork.

Sasuke only worked with Naruto when it suited him or his life depended on it (and sometimes not even then) and Sakurabarely glanced at him-not that she took her training seriously enough to be any real help. It was incredibly frustrating.

It was like life had been against him from the start. No parents. No hearing. The Kyuubi sealed inside him (even if the fox was actually nice, the village didn't see him that way). The worst possible teammates he could've gotten all because of grades that mean nothing in the real world (Sakura would be a prime example-she was the top Kunoichi and her biggest strength was her chakra control (which was only good because she had so little chakra to begin with)).

He was bitter. Just a little bit. At least he'd found people who did care. Shino, Shikamaru, Choji and Lee were the best friends he could've asked for and Iruka-sensei had become the parent he'd never had. Even Kakashi-sensei was trying his best-although Sasuke still got the most attention. At first, when they first became a team, Naruto had held out the slightest of hopes that maybe he and Sasuke could form a bond over their mutual status as orphans. It was obvious now that Sasuke considered Naruto's version of being an orphan "better" (like there really was a "better" about not having parents).

Naruto thought the same about Sasuke though. He wished so badly he could have even a shred of memory of his parents. Surely being able to look back on the good memories meant something. Wasn't it better than being completely alone from day one?

Regardless, Sasuke was so focused on revenge that anything else, any possible connections meant nothing. He'd also thought that maybe Wave would be a turning point. Sasuke had protected him, had worked together with him so smoothly one might think they'd been friends and not rivals. It wasn't. As soon as their mission was finished, Sasuke was back to being his usual aloof, brooding self with no interest in even holding a conversation with him let alone actually being friends or getting lunch as a team.

In a way it made sense for them to be friends. Sasuke didn't like talking and Naruto couldn't hear-though the way his team was getting along, the ravenette would never know that bit of information (and especially not Sakura).

The Jinchuuriki from Suna, Gaara, seemed like he could be a good friend-and being able to save someone from the loneliness Jiji and Iruka-sensei and his friends saved him from was a bonus. No one deserved that, especially since it was so obvious that even his team was terrified of him.

He wasn't sure how long he spent dwelling on his thoughts but by the time he snapped out of it Kakashi-sensei was there and everyone was staring at him.

Naruto grinned at his team, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle.

Kakashi-sensei clapped his hands together (probably saying something vaguely mocking like "now that everyone's paying attention.") and began signing while he presumably spoke.

"This is kind of last minute, but I nominated you all for the Chunin Exam, so…" Kakashi-sensei reached into a pocket on his vest and pulled out three sheets of paper. "These are your applications."

Sasuke and Sakura stared at their cyclops sensei blankly while Naruto felt excitement welling up inside him.

"That being said, these nominations aren't compulsory. You guys are free to decide whether you take the exam or not."

You need to take the exam as a team though…

"He's trying to lessen the pressure on the pink fleshbag."

That made sense. If the scarecrow told them they all had to be there then Sakura would say yes just because of Sasuke.

He could only hope she decided she was ready (even though she really wasn't).

That was fine, though. Promotions were individual anyway. Naruto was still excited.

So excited (and grateful) that he actually threw himself at Kakashi-sensei, hugging him tight while he cheered.

"Yay! Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!"

Team 7's Jounin instructor spun him with his momentum, hugging him back slightly.

"Okay, that's enough…" He ruffled Naruto's hair in a brotherly fashion anyway.

Naruto beamed up at him.

"If you want to take the exam just sign the application and come to room 301 of the Academy at 3:00 pm five days from now. That's it!"

He poofed away, leaving Naruto with five days to convince Sakura to sign the application and go to room 301 at the Academy.

Great.

He decided to play with Konohamaru and company in the meantime before meeting with Shikamaru, Shino and Choji (he had training with Gai-sensei and Lee tomorrow so he didn't worry about telling them just yet).

He hoped they would be there as well. At least then he wouldn't be alone.

Just five more days...