A/N - I am still quite new to this site and I reread what I previously posted. There is some slight confusion when I bring up the three dialogue when Gaara and Ura head out to the desert. If there's any confusion, my apologies, I thought the symbols I put up would've shown up. Just to say it real quick, it was the Kazekage and Ura's dad, Gokui.

Years had passed until Ura became the age of 15. She was still a Genin under the intense training with Kakashi. Throughout her years of training in the Leaf, she had never took off her Suna headband. Others questioned her for this act, but Ura didn't care. The one thing Kakashi questioned her on was the scroll she brought with her that had a forbidden kekkai-genkai. Ura dismissed the topic several times with him and continued to train on her own with the scroll. Her mother gave her that scroll for a reason and she wouldn't let anyone tell her otherwise. There were days where Ura would sit and remember her old friend in Suna, where he was and how he was doing. Then, there were days where she was so angry that she had left Suna that she would train for a full two days just to get the anger out of her. Why did she have to leave? Why was her father so adament that she left? Questions haunted her many nights, but she had come to an understanding resently.

She had started meditating more and more to calm herself instead. Answers came in the form of signs to her anymore. The reason her father made her leave came in a dream where she was in the middle of a dessert. Nothing was around her and she was all on her own. She had seen her pregnant mother walk away from Ura, tossing a kunai in the air in which Ura had caught with ease. There was a sandstorm around her, but it never touched her because it was so far away. When she woke, Ura had went to a mystic and asked what the dream had meant. The answer she had told Ura made her realize why she was in Konoha. Her father was afraid for Ura's safety, but Ura was in more danger leaving than she was in the village. But it was too late, Ura was there and couldn't leave just yet.

Ura had written to Temari and Kankurou many times and wrote at least once a week to them. They wrote her back, telling her about their lives, but they always left Gaara out. When Ura would ask questions about the letter she wrote Gaara, they wouldn't answer that question. Ura didn't know if Gaara still wanted to be friends. Then again, she had written letters to him still without him ever returning them. In one letter, one that she recieved recently, she was given a picture by Temari of the three of them. Gaara was so grown, but...he wasn't the same. The look in his eyes made Ura want to vomit from how sad she was. What had happened without her there? Ura would never know...

The Chunin exams were approaching, but Kakashi and his new team of Genins were out on a mission. Ura had already completed B-rank missions and just waited for them to show up. She wandered through the village and found the usual stream she sat at to meditate. Through her time in Leaf, she made few friends. They didn't interest her when she knew she was just going to leave them eventually.

"Ura of the Sand."

She turned softly to see some of the tracker-nin in Leaf before her. Ura looked them up and down, "Yes?"

"The Hokage wishes to see you."

"Alright," Ura shrugged and disappeared in a cloud of smoke and appeared in front of the Hokage, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, regarding your participation in the Chunin Exams," he smoked his pipe slowly, "You are still not on a three-man squad."

"I don't intend to, you know my affiliation is with Suna," Ura held her head band that was sewn onto her chest.

"Well, the rules state clearly that you must be on a team with two other Genin," Sarutobi explained as he eyed her, "If you do not participate this year, you may not ever be a Chunin."

"Then I want permission to do the exams on my own," Ura stated as she put her hands behind her back, "I'm strong enough to even take you on, Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi chuckled as he stood up, "I can see that you are strong, but you still have a long way to go. If I allow you to go on in the Chunin Exams, I hope you understand that no one will go easy on you for your choice to participate alone."

"I understand clearly," Ura smiled as she put her hands on her hips, "I'm going to win in the end, and then I can go back home to Suna."

The Hokage looked over Ura a few more times. Watching her over the years made him believe that she was definitely Kage material. One problem he knew would never go away was that she held back most of her power. Why she held back he wouldn't understand. Sarutobi watched her leave his office and the mansion, walking through the village in the direction of the usual training ground. Smoking his pipe, Sarutobi hoped she would change her mind and remain in Konoha. He had asked her several times to be his apprentice in hopes of becoming the next Hokage, but each time she turned him down. Konoha wasn't good enough to be the village Ura wanted to represent and protect.

The Sunagakure was a lucky country, Sarutobi thought as he sat back in his chair.

Ura walked through the village with her arms behind her head. It was a beautiful day, a great day for training too. She wanted a break though. Usually, she trained for a week and took a day off so her body could get used to the strain she put on herself. All the training was paying off though, Ura placed her hands on her slender hips with a proud smile on her lips. She was one of the strongest kunoichi in the Leaf Village and was ready for the Chunin Exams so she could finally go home. It would be nice to kick her dad's ass for sending her there anyways.

She sat back at the original stream and brought a cantine that she took from Kakashi. It had some sake in it, but not enough that would get her wasted. Ura sat on the ground and just gazed at the stream. It was definitely a nice day.

"H-h-hello, Ura-san..."

Ura looked over her shoulder to see Hinata Hyuuga. Over the years, she had been trying to get the Hyuuga girl to open up. No use being shy when one was a kunoichi, especially from a legendary family. With a smile, Ura waved to Hinata, "Hey, where've you been?"

"Uhm...training, with Kurenai-sensei," Hinata answered as she stood besides Ura, "Where...is your team?"

"Who? Oh the three with Kakashi? They're on a mission," Ura shrugged as she sipped the cantine, "I didn't want to go."

"Why not?"

"It's bad enough i'm here, why go to a different country and suffer there?"

They sat in silence. Hinata and Ura had met when Ura arrived and lived with Kakashi. The Hyuuga girl was so weak that Ura had to question herself to why she wanted to be a kunoichi. Watching Hinata train as an academy student and as a new Genin, however, Ura changed her mind about the girl. Ura respected Hinata and tried to help her with her chakra control. Chakra was essential for Hinata since she could see all the vital points for chakra and had to aim at the right point for the right attack. Ura talked with Hinata until her other teammates showed up.

Kiba Inozuka was a good opponent in battle. Ura had fought him several times to show him he was not stronger than her, but it was Shino that Ura had a harder time battling. His use of bugs constantly grossed Ura out to the point she would just give up on him. When the two boys arrived, Ura looked up at them in her half-drunk state and an empty cantine, "Well look who it is."

"Hey, Ura," Kiba smiled brightly as he sat next to Ura, "Wanna have another battle? I've gotten pretty strong lately."

"Nope," Ura stood up, "Today is my day off, so i'm just gonna chill today."

"Aw... Then, do you want to watch me train?" Kiba stood up next to Ura, "It's really impressive!"

"Maybe another day, I want to take a nap," Ura was starting to walk away, but Kiba continued to follow her, "What?"

"You're going off to train so you can be stronger than me," Kiba crossed his arms, "I'm gonna learn your kekkei-genkai eventually, you might as well show it to me now."

"Nope," Ura turned and smiled before tripping him with her chakra string, "And you're going to stay with your team."

"C'mon, Ura," Kiba groaned as she started to walk away without him.

Ura didn't want to be bothered by anyone for the rest of the day. She just wanted to be left alone and think. Since the Chunin Exams were coming up, she had recieved letters from Temari and Kankurou saying they were going to attend this one. That only meant that Gaara was coming too. Would he be different? What would it be like when she would see him again in person. Ura wasn't the same reserved girl like she was before. Now, she was more calm and easy-going, unless someone brought up a touchy subject with her. She felt the wind whip around her as she continued to walk towards the forest part of the village.

"Ura! Ura! Over here! Ura! URA! LOOK OVER HERE! URA! URA! HEY URA!"

She pulled out one hari, ready to kill whoever was calling her. When she turned, some relief came to her when she saw Naruto running at her at his top speed. He was about to jump on her when she pulled out her umbrella and opened it. Naruto didn't expect her to use her umbrella and landed roughly on the top. Ura easily tossed him off her umbrella and strapped it back onto her back, "Well, glad to see you're back safely and your voice box still intact. Where are the others?"

"Sleeping, probably," Naruto laughed as he sat against the tree she tossed him at, "I want to tell you what happened!"

"Can it wait? You know today's my day off," Ura groaned, but she would hear it eventually.

Naruto explained what happened in the Village Hidden in the Mist. Ura learned everything about Haku, Zabuza, Inari, and whoever else he was rambling on about. She continued to walk through the forest with Naruto trailing behind her still talking about the mission. In many ways, Naruto reminded her of Gaara. They both had a beast inside them and both were outcasted by their own village. Naruto, however, had friends where Gaara had only one. Ura took Naruto under her wing when they first met and didn't go off on him like she did so many other Genin in the village. Until she returned to Suna, Naruto was her main priority and protection. She had saved him plenty of times and made sure the missions he was given was good enough for him to complete. Naruto even trained under her command rather than Kakashi's. Where Kakashi taught him teamwork, Ura taught Naruto patience and a steady hand.

She ran her fingers through her dark brown hair, it needed trimmed badly. With it being long and all, it constantly got in her face when she was in battle. Then again, she liked having long hair to play with and try to start trends with. Ura brought out her cantine, but it was empty. She would have to steal some later that evening. Naruto finally finished talking about the mission and asked, "So, what were you doing since we've been gone?"

"Training mostly, the Chunin Exams are coming up and some old friends are coming here from Suna," Ura answered, then looked up at the sky with her light brown eyes, "I haven't seen him in so long, he probably doesn't remember me."

"Who are you talking about?" Naruto whined as he crossed his arms, "I bet he's not as strong as me."

Ura felt her blood run cold, but soon calmed herself when Naruto made that remark. They were possibly the same strength, Gaara and Naruto. On the other hand, Gaara could easily get the upper hand. Ura decided not to yell at Naruto. Instead, she just kept walking in silence as Naruto followed. She hadn't told anyone in the Leaf about her friendship with Gaara. It wasn't that she was afraid to say anything, but she didn't wany anyone to target him.

"Sasuke was looking for you too."

Her friendship with Naruto was nice and she liked hanging out with him. Naruto gave her some hope that she would be the Kazekage one day. The Uchiha, however, she didn't care for. He used his intense hatred for his elder brother to fuel him during battle. Ura didn't find his presence of good use. He was negative and brooding, always trying to be the best above the rest. Ura smirked at her next thought, he had never beaten her in a battle.

"Really? I'm sure he doesn't need me," Ura shrugged and continued walking.

"Yeah, he can't win against you and probably just wants to fight you anyways," Naruto imitated her shrug and continued to follow Ura.

They emerged from behind the trees of the forest and appeared on a cliff overlooking the vast land outside Naruto's village. The tall grass looked like the ocean as the wind turned the waves of grass and shimmered some of the light from the sun. Her eyes scanned the skies, no clouds, bright blue, and the warmth of the sun kissed her pale skin. The spot in which they stood was Ura's favorite spot because it was the direction she would be walking in when she returned to Suna. That spot gave her more hope than anyone else could. She felt powerful, beautiful, strong, and positive when she stood on that cliff. Through all her faults and mistakes and imperfections, Ura felt her best when she knew Suna was in her reach.

'Soon, I promise, I will return and bring a new regimine,' she thought proudly as she placed her hands behind her head, "Are you ready for the Chunin Exams?"

"You bet, believe it!" Naruto shouted proudly as he imitated Ura's movements again, "I'm gonna win and be the next Hokage!"

Ura smiled even wider as she playfully punched Naruto, almost knocking him off the cliff, "I'll believe that, but it'll be after I become the next Kazekage!"

::Meanwhile::

Sakura and Sasuke were looking around for the two other people in their team. They didn't count Ura as their teammate due to her not participating in the missions they had to do together. If anything, they considered her a second mentor who helped them train. Sakura didn't really care for Ura only because Sasuke always wanted to fight Ura. He always looked at Ura when she spoke and considered what she had to say. But, whenever it came to Sakura saying something or trying to suggest something, Sasuke dismissed it as if it were nothing.

The Uchiha groaned angrily, "Is this her day off or something? I can't sense her anywhere."

Ok...well, Sakura thought they were looking for BOTH Naruto and Ura. She didn't think that Sasuke was looking for just Ura. Even when Ura wasn't present, Sasuke still mentioned her out of nowhere. It was the most annoying thing Sakura could even fathom, even when Naruto was quite a nuisance. She merely sighed and slowed her pace behind Sasuke, "She'll turn up, maybe Naruto is with Ura too."

"Yeah..." Sasuke grimaced.

They stopped walking when Kakashi turned a corner and waved over to them, "Well, hello students."

"Kakashi, where's Ura?" Sasuke basically demanded as he put his hands in his pockets, "Is she at your place?"

"Hm? She's in the forest with Naruto at that cliff again. It's her day off," Kakashi shrugged as he approached them, "I have to discuss the Chunin Exams with you two, i'm sure Ura is doing the same with Naruto."

"She hasn't even been to the exams," Sakura pointed out, "That's why she's still a Genin and here."

"Ura will be participating in the exams alone," Kakashi stated as he handed them each a pamphlet, "Think about it before you sign your names on these. In five days, you will go to room 301 at the academy to enter. Think very carefully about this decision, many people die during the exams."

::Ura::

"So, those Chunin Exams are no joke..." Naruto grumbled as Ura finished her explination.

"Yep, and you have to take them seriously if you plan on advancing to be the next Hokage," Ura nodded as she toyed with her hari, "I hope you're ready, Naruto. Besides, i'm planning on winning every exam. After these and becoming a Chunin, i'm leaving Konoha."

When she had first told Naruto that she was leaving everyone in Leaf behind, he was furious. He didn't want her to go. Ura had actually felt bad for telling him because his reaction reminded her of Gaara's. Even at that point, standing on the cliff and looking over at her homeland, Ura still felt guilty. Naruto didn't say anything, there was nothing he nor anyone could do to stop her when she decided to leave. Ura sighed and started to turn back towards the village, "C'mon, i'll buy us some ramen."

"I'm not hungry."

Ura knew she had hit the same soft spot. She turned to see Naruto still facing the direction towards Suna, "Let's go, Naruto."

"What's so great about the dessert anyways!" Naruto turned and yelled at her angrily, "If you want to go so badly, then just leave now!"

"I would, but i'm not going back as a Genin," Ura glared at him as she put her hari back in her sack strapped to her thigh.

Naruto just growled at her for a few moments, but then began to calm down. He ended up following her back to the village in reluctant silence. Ura crossed her arms as they entered the bustling village. She couldn't help but enjoy the little village that had been her home for so long. It was always nice weather and the people were friendly with her no matter how cold she was to them at first.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Suna

:::::::::::::::::::::::

"It's almost time, do you think he remembers her?"

"Oh yeah, there's no doubt he remembers."

"We should've warned her..."

"Too late now... I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I hope..."