Kurenai-sensei appears!

As the smoke slowly dissipated, Team 7 was overjoyed to see the familiar and smiling face of their sensei, Yuhi Kurenai. "Hello, Team 7. Good to see you all made it here.", she said, although she noted Sakura and Ino looked a bit worse than before, but even she could tell it was nothing too serious.

"I'm very proud you were able to pass this exam. That you stand here means you worked together as a team, and that is much more important than individual skill. Yes, I was certain you were able to do it.", Kurenai praised her team.

But then her gaze fell upon the odd girl that was with them now. It really stood out, not just because of her different clothes, her headband was it that caught Kurenais attention. "And who might you be?", she asked her directly.

"My name is Tsuchi Kin.", Kin answered.

Naruto relayed Kins story as far as he knew it to Kurenai, with Ino confirming what he said. Naruto especially stressed how she had helped them to even get here, since he couldn't really judge the look Kurenai was giving her.

After they had ended, Kurenai looked thoughtfully at the Sound-kunoichi for a while. The longer she stared at her, the more nervous Kin got, she fidgeted and was seriously asking herself if it had really been a good idea to come with the Konoha-nin.

"Kurenai-sensei, you're not going to put Kin-chan in prison, right?", Naruto asked as Kurenai still hadn't said a word, only looked from one of her pupil to the next and to Kin.

Finally, she sighed. "I can't make a decision right now, but you seem to be honest. I will consult the Hokage on this, but until then I ask you to remain with my team. If not, I will have to assume you have not been completely truthful to me. Do you understand this?", she adressed the Sound kunoichi.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!", Kin quickly answered, not wanting to draw the ire of this person. After all, she could be the one who would decide on her future fate.

"Good. As my team trusted you, I will trust you as well.", Kurenai said, smiling at Kin. She then turned around and opened the door behind her. Team 7 and Kin followed her and they entered an empty lobby. "Now. Naruto, I want to speak with you. Please come with me. You others, please wait here until we come back.", she said and motioned Naruto to come with her.

They vanished around a corner and, from the sound of it, ascended a flight of stairs, leaving behind a somewhat confused and, in Inos case, irritated Team 7.

Ino was mostly irritated because she had longed to jump Narutos bones the moment they were out of that forest, and now she was again prevented that chance. But there was something else. She had the feeling something was going on, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. "Sakura?", she called out to her pink-headed friend.

"What is it, Ino?"

"Don't you think it's strange that Kurenai-sensei often holds back Naruto after training?", Ino asked as the sounds of Kurenai and Narutos footsteps began to die down. "I'm so curious what they're talking about."

Sakura frowned for a moment. Ino was right. While Sakura had noticed Ino often dragging Naruto off after training, Kurenai had held him back a couple of times as well. Not as much as Ino, but still... strange. "Oh, I get it! I bet Naruto is getting extra special training from Kurenai-sensei!", she reasoned.

Ino put her fist into a palm as she decided that this had to be it. "Hmm, you might be right. Oh, that's so not fair! I want to get special training as well!", she complained, and from that spur of the moment, a plan was hatched in Inos blond head. "Kin, you're coming with us!", she ordered briskly.

That order took the black-haired girl off guard. "Eh? D-do I really have to?", she asked, unsure if she liked where this was going.

"Of course! Didn't you hear what Kurenai-sensei said? We'll have to keep an eye on you either way, so you better comply."

"Ooh, so you wanna spy on them, am I right?", Sakura asked and, after receiving a nod in response, squealed in excitement. "Count me in! I wanna know what this training is, too!"

Quickly, Ino grabbed the still hesitant Kin and ran the way Kurenai had taken. They soon reached a hallway that had some doors, presumably temporary lodgings where the teams and their teachers could stay for a while. With Kins improved sound detection, they soon stood in front of a door.

"So, they're in here, huh?", Ino asked. The door looked like any other, and she couldn't hear any sounds from within. But then again, maybe that was just her.

"Kin, can you hear what they're talking about?", Sakura asked, really getting into the idea of sneaking into a secret training session and maybe learning something.

Kin seemed to concentrate for a moment before she picked up the sounds from within. "Well, I... oh... oh my...", she began but her words became lower and lower as her face turned crimson in a matter of seconds.

"What? What are you hearing?", Sakura asked, befuddled by Kins reaction.

But Ino just snorted. "Ah, she's useless! We need to break in ourselves! It's just not fair if Naruto is the one getting all the special training!", she said and cracked her knuckles as she stepped closer to the door.

"I-I-I don't think you should do that!", Kin tried to hold Ino back, but to no avail, as the blonde had already turned the knob of the door and pushed it wide open...