AN: hey there guys! hope you like it! please read and review.
Dsiclaimer: i don't own Naruto. ...sniffles.
I turned over in my bedroll groggily as I tried to figure out what had woken me. After a moment I realized that Anbu was sitting next to me, staring at me intently. Ah, so he was waking me up for the day. I pat his flank in thanks as I stood and looked around the camp, taking in the early morning light and the sleeping figures of Kakashi and Sasuke. Well, so much for Kakashi not being able to sleep. I tip-toed over to where he lay and lay the open bed roll beside him before very gently rolling him into it. He just grunted before getting comfortable and sighing in content. I smiled and tip toed over to my pack and out of camp, heading over to the meteorite to look at it in the sunlight.
I did a double take at what I saw. What I had thought was a big rock was actually stone coated metal. Inside the stone was a huge deposit of an odd alloy that I was itching to take home with me. Oh, this was so cool. I frowned as I examined it. Was that my sleeping bag under it? After a second, I shook my head at my silliness. I had a more pressing matter on my mind, such as how to hide the fallen star. I didn't want anyone else finding it and making off with it. After a minute of thought, I performed an earth jutsu that Kakashi had taught me and covered the meteorite, forming another crater right next to where the original had been.
Once I was done I left the camp, heading to the village. I was on the outskirts about a mile away when I felt it. There where large masses of chakra in front of me, and not the normal chakra levels that where from the village, this was much higher. I paused before deciding to continue and act like I hadn't notice a thing, though my senses where on high alert. Something definitely wasn't right though. I made it to the village in good time, seeing as it was seven o'clock. The guards at the gate yawned and waved, causing me to wave back with a smile. When I was in the village I headed to Kakashi's apartment, hoping to freshen up before continuing the day.
I entered through the front door with a sigh as I slid the key back into my pack. I could tell that the place was full of dust and it looked like it could use a good cleaning. I made two shadow clones and sent them to work while I went to the bedroom, plopping down on the bed with a sigh of relief at the feel of a mattress. It was a firm mattress but I loved it. I thought for a minute as I relaxed. Whatever I had felt in the air had something to do with the Chunin exams and this village; that much I could deduce. If anything, we had a lot of foreign ninja in this village, making the village more vulnerable than any other time. In fact, this would be the perfect time to launch an invasion. I rolled over with a jlot as a sudden thought hit me. Hadn't Sasuke been bitten by that Orochimaru guy?
"Oh my gosh! I'm such an idiot!" I cried as it began to come back to me. Even if I hadn't seen more than twenty three episodes of Naruto, the friend of mine that had been getting me into it had told me about one of the main bad guys, Orochimaru and how he was after Sasuke and how he tried to destroy the hidden leaf once during some ninja tests or what not. Ninja tests meaning the Chunin exams.
"Shit I grumbled. After a minute more of brooding I sat up and pulled out the medium leather pouch that was in my gear and emptied all my stones onto the comforter of the bed. I couldn't help but marvel the stones once more as I took in their beauty. Thinking back on what Kakashi had told me about storing energy I began to fill one of the stones, a medium sized flat one, up as much as I could, only stopping when I felt my hands begin to shake. I took a deep breath, a bit irritated with myself at my foolishness while I began to draw some chakra into myself. After a second I stopped, frowning at the stone. Was it my imagination or was there more chakra in the stone then the chakra I had put in? Frowning I began to fill the stone with my chakra again before drawing it out, this time taking all the chakra I had put in there out. There was now a lot more chakra then that I had put in it. I frowned, and repeated the process only to find that each time I repeated it, there was even more chakra even though I wasn't missing any. After a minute I gave up trying to figure out why it gained more chakra every time I filled it and created a dozen shadow clones. They set to work talking and conferring ideas as they filled and drained the energy form the single stone until the energy inside was starting to become very high, though the stone showed no sign of reaching its limit. I left the shadow clones to it and went to take a nice long bath. I was halfway through when my cleaning clones released themselves. Good, the house was all clean now. I dried my hair in the mirror, frowning at the length of my hair. It reached the back of my thighs and had lost about fifty percent of its curl, though it still had some tons of pretty waves and would still go all out curly if I pampered it and my eyes had turned a bright neon gold color. I had mildly given up on cutting it seeing as it grew even faster for a while if I did. After a minute of thought, I shrugged and sheered my hair off at my lower back with a kunai knife. I made a couple of shadow clones and had they layer my hair, making it now reach my mid back in length. I took a look at the clock as my clones and I cleaned up the bathroom. Looked like it had been an hour since I had left the clones to work on the stones. When I went in the bedroom I froze at what I saw. All of my shadow clones where sitting cross legged in a circle, the gems laid out in a circle as well inside of theirs as they sat with their eyes shut and hands linked. I shivered as I felt chakra all around me being pulled into the circle at an amazing rate. So the energy that it was gathering was Natural energy? In that case, I had to tread with caution. When Kakashi had found out that I was starting to learn to pull chakra into my body from other places like a tree or a plant, he cautioned me against the use of natural energy. He spoke of sages and how they were able to pull natural energy into their bodies and how it took years to master the technique without turning to stone.
"What are you guys doing?" I asked the clones as I sat down outside the circle. One turned to talk to me while the others continued working.
"We found that whatever amount of chakra you put in the stone will be doubled. We are sending a loop of chakra through all the stones so that the vast amount from one stone will be doubled when sent to the next. In a minute we will channel the entire amount we have gained into one stone." The clone said, pointing to the one in the middle as my eyes bugged. If what they were saying was true I could blast a mountain to pieces, with what they had gathered. The stone it had pointed to was set on a very odd looking necklace. The chain looked almost see through and seemed to bend the light in a very pretty manner.
"What about the fact that its gathering natural chakra, and what did you guys put it on?" I asked in wonder. The same clone form before spoke.
"We found that the stone seems to filter the natural chakra, making it usable. it only gathers what has been put in it, so we think that it's a balance that keeps the natural energy from overwhelming one's normal chakra. Oh, and we wove a very strong chain of chakra and set the stone in the middle of the weave. It will be all but impossible to loose when we have finished putting it on you." I nodded, understanding exactly where they were coming from. It would be very bad it I lost even one of these stones, seeing as they were invaluable. I would probably have to have a few surgically implanted in my body to keep them safe, or hide or destroy them.
After another minute, all my clones took a breath as one and I could feel the shift in the energy in the room. They slowly opened their eyes and stood up, picking up the necklace. They then worked the chakra thread to where the necklace hung around my neck, the stone hanging in between if not a little below my breasts. They then formed another weave of chakra, this time to loop under my arms and attach to the stone. They connected the loop around my neck and the one under my arms with a strand that went from the nape of my neck to where my bra strap was. As they finished they released themselves and I felt a large flow of knowledge concerning the stones and how they had reacted to some of the experiments that my clones had conducted. There was a piece of information that caught my attention, making me frown. It appeared that they also made me a belt with the some of the smaller stones hidden in it for me to wear today, seeing as we were about to go through a very large battle. I fastened it on before leaving the apartment and locking up, intent on going to the arena. I had some preparation to finish before it was time.
Kakashi P.O.V.
I nodded as I watched Sasuke ran at a bolder, Chidori in his hand before he raised his hand and struck the stone, blasting a hole in it before leaping back.
"Perfect," I called, finally satisfied that he had the form down, as I looked at the sun and frowned. It looked around nine thirty-ish.
"We need to go now," Anbu snarled, looking irritated beyond belief with me. He had been trying to get us to leave for the past thirty minutes but I had told him that Sasuke didn't have a chance of winning if we didn't perfect him form before the exam. Sasuke and I nodded and we took off. He was wearing his new outfit, his hair long from lack of cutting. I had been training Kumori and him so relentlessly, he probably hadn't noticed, with all the training, intelligence games, and trying to get some wreck. As I thought over the past month, I could feel a rush of pride for my students. Sasuke had managed to learn and perfect Chidori in a month, which was no mean feat, and Kumori had managed to catch up for her lack of ninjutsus, and was probably a high leveled Chunin. They were both highly intelligent, and probably geniuses. I would have to get them to take an IQ test for me. I frowned as I thought of Kumori, trying to take stock of what I knew of the girl as I followed Anbu as he leapt with agility through the tree tops, his annoyance with me an almost tangible thing. SI smiled as I thought of the young woman. She had already come to me with taijutsu, the use of shurikens, her silly jokes, and kunai. She had those down, and chakra control came so easily to her, she was able to learn most of the jutsus without difficulty. I was starting to have a suspicion that she had used it in her world whether she knew it or not, except she used it outside her body. It would explain why she was able to pick up on it so well, though I couldn't be sure. She was such a goof with her zoning out and forgetting basic stuff, but rather pleasant to be around for the most part. And kind. I smiled as I thought about how I had woken up to find myself in my sleeping bag. She would unquestionably get along well with the team. She definitely had no problem with my porn book and would sometimes borrow it from me. She was sure to be kind to Naruto, and she knew how to deal with Sasuke. The only question was how she would react to Sakura and vice versa. I frowned as we swung out of the trees and landed in the main road. The sun was at about ten-ish. We had to hurry.
Kumori P.O.V.
The hum of the crowd filled the air as I entered the arena, heading for the stands. I wonder where Naruto is, I thought as I walked through the stands, finally managing to make it past the main throng of people into a less crowded area. I only had a second to register a flash of orange hurtling towards me before I was glomped.
"Nee-san! Where have you been! I haven't seen you in forever! Iruka sensei said that Kakashi sensei and your cat Anbu came and got you! I would have looked for you around town but I had to leave with pervy sage for my training so I could kick some butt in the Chunin exams! It's so good to see you!" Rattled a hyperactive Naruto as he let me go from his hug to smile at me. I gave a huge laugh and a hug in return. (AN: Nee-san means Big sister in Japanese.)
"So I'm your big sister?" I asked with a smile, though in truth I was pretty touched. My kid brother had been around his age when I had lost him and had looked just like Naruto, which was probably one of the reasons I was getting a soft spot for him. That and the fact that he was generally a kind but rude person, both traits something I admired. Naruto nodded.
"Mm hmm! Sure are!" he stated with a huge grin.
"Well good. Because you're officially my little brother now," I stated with a smile, really meaning it. If he ever needed me, he would just have to call. Naruto gaped at me.
"Really?" I nodded before laughing at how he was starting to get hyper again. That's when I noticed several people heading towards us. Naruto followed the direction of my eyes before smiling at the people then me as he gave a mischievous laugh.
"Hey guys, I want you to meet Kumori. She's a new member of Team seven. Kumori, this is Shino, Ino, Choji, Sakura and Shikamaru. Sakura is also a member of team seven. Over there is Ten ten, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru. Rock lee is in the hospital right now." Naruto said as he pointed out everyone in turn from their spots. The ones that saw or heard our conversation nodded in greeting though I could see curiosity in their eyes. I spotted a kid that Naruto hadn't mentioned, speaking to TenTen.
"Whose he?" I asked, frowning when Naruto's face became dark, anger and distaste in his hard blue eyes.
"Neji Hyuga." He growled out. After a second I decided to let it go and smiled at the kids that where closest to me.
"It's very nice to meet all of you." I said with a small smile before Ino spoke.
"Hey, you and Sakura are almost wearing the same thing," she stated in amusement. I looked down mildly startled to find that she was right before I gave and easy laugh.
"I guess I now have the perfect excuse to go shopping for another outfit. This one's about dead as it is," I said, more to myself then anything. I had worn out the dress as it was and it was about ready to rip from all the wear and tear in the last month. After a second I realized that Sakura and Ino where chuckling good humoredly, earning a small smile from me.
"So where are you from?" asked Sakura as I sat down next to her, Ino on her other side as Choji munched on his potato chips. I could feel myself salivating. I hadn't had junk food for weeks.
"Oh, from far away. I think someone screwed up with a jutsu or something because I suddenly appeared in Konoha about a month ago. Since I can't get back we all decided that I might as well call this place home.
""oooo, so your probably from across the sea! I wondered why your hair was curly and your eyes where different! That's cool," Said Sakura, her eyes becoming wistful as she began to daydream about my home. Choji stopped in mid munch with a hard indecisive look in his face. My eyes remained dewy and pleading as I stared at his potato chips. After a second he finally snapped.
"Will your stop staring?" he demanded. I pouted.
"But I haven't had potato chips, chocolate, or any junk food of in kind in a day under a month." I whined. He gasped in repulsion and handed me a bag immediately, which I accepted with a squeal and many "thank you's" before starting to munch on the chips in content.
"Not even ramen?" demanded Naruto. I shook my head and he gasped in revulsion. After a second, someone finally found their voice.
"Then what where you eating?" Ino demanded, looking as if she didn't want to find out.
"Wild game and non-poisonous flora of the area." They all gasped in mild horror.
"But why? Could you not afford to buy food or anything?" asked Sakura, looking sympathetic. I shook my head as I spoke.
"Oh, it's not that. The Hokage sent me to live with Kakashi sensei and I have some starting out money from him, which was very kind of them both. It was because I was busy training." After a second, Sakura spoke.
"Wait a second, does that mean you where training with Kakashi sensei and Sasuke?" she asked. After a second, I nodded my face unreadable. Naruto groaned, looking upset.
"Awwww man! I asked Kakashi sensei to train me, but he said he was just training Sasuke! Then he leaves me with Ero-Sensei! How come you got to train and I didn't?" he grouched. I smiled.
"It's only because the Hokage told him to look after me that he let me go with them. At first he wasn't going to teach me but when I started getting on his nerves, he decided to give me something to do to keep me out of that silver hair of his," I said as I fibbed a little so Naruto wouldn't get mad. He seemed to cheer up a bit.
"Ah, I see." He said. Just then a bell rang.
"Who's going first?" Ino asked as the lineup for the Chunin exams changed. I frowned when I realized that Sasuke had been moved to last. I looked around with growing concern when I realized that Sasuke and Kakashi weren't here.
"Alright! Looks like I'm going first!" Naruto cried, making me crack a smile though I was still looking all around the arena.
"Hey, where are Kakashi and Sasuke?" I asked. The kids shrugged making my face fall as anger and irritation began to sweep over me.
"I told them not to be late but nooooooooooo, they just couldn't listen. Stupid guys. They're going to miss the stupid competition that they spend all month preparing for! Ugh! I knew I shouldn't have left early this morning!" I growled under my breath as I began to tap my foot. After a minute of brooding, I cleared my mind and sighed before smiling at Naruto.
"Oh, I wanted to say thank you for teaching me the shadow clone jutsu. I wouldn't have been able to do half the things I have this month without your help." Naruto gasped in glee, his dark mood fading.
"Really? What did you do?" he asked, looking eager.
"I learned a ton of jutsus, and use them to get things time really fast. You wouldn't believe how much I learned with them. You should try it some time," I said with a little smile. Naruto frowned.
"What do you mean." I thought for a second before patting him on the head.
"I'll tell you later. I wouldn't want to competition to overhear," I stated as another bell rang.
"I guess that's you. Good luck, and make sure to kick some butt out there for me!" I called as he, Shikamaru, and Neji began to move toward the stairs. He waved good bye one last time before disappearing form sight. After about ten more minutes, the bell rang, Naruto and Neji jumping into the arena.
It was time for the Chunin exams to begin.
AN: whoot! time for the drama! please review! sorry fof the chapter mix up, but i was pressed for time to upload it.
