Kasumi: Wow NeoKenshin, you've been really going into overtime with these! It's been a little over a week and you're already up to the Chuunin Exams!

NeoKenshin: Hey, a lot of people like this story. So I'm gonna keep going as much as I can.

Kasumi: Just dont overwork yourself ok. Everyone probably knows this by now; You don't own any of the Naruto stuff. You do own me and the Illumina Concept.

NeoKenshin:Thanks Kasumi. Also, thanks for the reviews. I really wanna see this thing get like 50+reviews before I start the Chuunin battles. It will really help! And please tell everyone to read!

Kasumi: Well, here we go! Chapter 9!

NeoKenshin; Least you got over your embarrassment when you saw Sasuke last chapter.

Kasumi: Let's not talk about that.

Chapter 9: The Chuunin Exams: part 1

Hi all. Kasumi here. It's been about three months since I've updated. Our team has settled into a nice groove. Team Illumina (we renamed it since we all have Illumina Powers now.) has gotten a lot stronger. We've taken up a lot more missions and have so far racked up 65 D-Rank (we actually got crazy one day and took on 30 D-Ranks in one day! Guess having two people know the Kage Bunshin really helped.), 20 C-Rank, and 1 B-Rank mission. Our Illumina training has progressed a lot as well. Naruto finally got around to asking Otou-san with help on learning the Rasengan, and with his drive to want to succeed; Naruto actually mastered it in a week! He also learned his Vortex Storm technique. Now he's been trying to combine it with the Rasengan, but that definitely hasn't been going well. I know he'll get it someday, though.

Hinata's healing abilities have gotten better and she even learned how to use a chakra scalpel, with some help from Oka-san. Her Aqua Healing can now restore someone to nearly full strength, and her Aqua shield has a wider range of defense. She can now protect up to three people with it. Sasuke, well…he's still Sasuke. Seeing Naruto want to succeed has pushed him as well. He's gotten the grasp of his Sharingan and has mastered it to Level 2, thus allowing him to use it at Level 3 when he transforms. He's also been doing a lot of taijutsu training, and had greatly increased his speed and strength. With his Illumina training, he's mastered the Flare Bomb and Fire Storm Techs. He's also created a new Dual Tech with Naruto called the Vortex Flare.

Haku has become a wonderful addition to the team. Being the oldest, she's been like a big sister to us all. Like Hinata, she's practiced healing and defense, with a little bit of taijutsu with Sasuke. In conjunction to her Ice Armor, she now knows Freeze Lancer and Arctic Storm. She and Hinata even created a move called the Ice Storm Blast. It's really cool! I also found out, she got the same proposition that Sasuke and I got. I guess Otou-san and Oka-san really like having a lot of kids. Haku hasn't decided on whether or not she wants to take the adoption offer, but she said she'd consider it. I guess a part of me wishes Sasuke would too…but then I wouldn't be able to be in love with him anymore.

Speaking of myself…I've somewhat held the team together through Illumina training. As for my ninja training, I did a lot of work building up my stamina, so I could keep up with the boys. I did the tree exercise a lot more and got to the point where I could easily walk up the tree with my hands, as if I was doing a handstand. I was even able to hang from the tree for a good 30 minutes before I tired out. As for my Illumina abilities, I finally got back to where I was before I came here. I can now use my most powerful attack, the Starburst Cannon. I also learned an ice jutsu from Haku, and a simple lightning jutsu from Kakashi-sensei. Naruto and I even created our own double attack called the Uzumaki Dual Assault. When you see how many Kage Bunshins we make, it's insane! Oh well, I gotta go for now. More training to do.

"All right, Naruto! Are you ready to do this?" Kasumi said.

"You bet!" Naruto said.

"Haku, are you sure you're gonna be ok?" Kasumi asked.

"Sure. Hinata's ready on healing detail, and my Ice Armor will definitely help me out." Haku said.

"Ok, here we go!" Kasumi said.

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" Naruto and Kasumi said, each forming 5 Kage Bunshins. "UZUMAKI SPECIAL ATTACK! DUAL ASSAULT!"

The Kage Bunshins began the attack with each one of us sending a clone at Haku. These clones did a simple 5-hit ground combo and then tossed Haku towards the next set of clones. The 3 pairs of clones were set up in a hexagon shape and then proceeded to juggle Haku between each of the clones. Naruto and I then ran up and jumped into the air while the first two clones rushed into the middle to launch Haku airborne. To finish the attack, Naruto and I unleashed a chakra-powered punch that sent Haku crashing into the ground at ultra high speed, instantly shattering her Ice Armor.

"Hey, that was pretty good." Haku said. "You actually shattered my Ice Armor this time."

"What can I say? We're getting really strong." Naruto said. "I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up getting an A-rank mission next time."

"Naruto, we may be good, but we're nowhere near that good. We're still just genin, remember." Kasumi said. "We won't be officially eligible for A-ranks until we're Chuunin."

"Speaking of being Chuunin, aren't the exams coming up pretty soon?" Hinata said.

"Yeah, I think they are. But doesn't your Jounin have to request that you take part?" Haku said.

"I think so. Besides, most genin teams don't take the exam until after their first year." Kasumi said." I don't know if Kakashi-sensei will recommend us this year."

"I don't see why he shouldn't. I mean we're good, really good! We already have 1 B-rank mission under our belts." Naruto said.

"Well, I guess the choice is up to him. Why don't we call it a day and get some lunch." Haku said, powering down. "I'm actually craving some shrimp ramen today."

"Haku, you read my mind!" Naruto said.

We headed towards Ichiraku's for some well-deserved lunch. On our way, Naruto couldn't help but notice there was box that kept following him. He knew only one team was that crafty…so to speak.

"Naruto, why don't you go along with it? You know they're only trying their hardest to be like you." Hinata said.

"I know, but I have more fun this way." Naruto said, sitting on the box. There were three grunts coming from the box. "Now has a box ever grunted?"

"Naruto! Come on, be nice now. Ok, Konohamaru Corps, stand in!" Kasumi said.

Naruto got off the box, and out from under it came three small kids. They each wore the same goggles that Naruto used to wear before we graduated the Academy.

"To go where my friends go…I am Udon!" Udon said.

"The next great kunoichi, I am Moegi!" said Moegi.

"The leader of the three, and the next Hokage! I am Konohamaru!" Konohamaru said.

"Together we are, the Konohamaru Corps!" all three said together.

"Excellent troops. You may stand down." Kasumi said. "And you can keep being so cute!" She went and hugged Konohamaru.

"Aww, Kasumi-sama! Don't do that! It's embarrassing!" Konohamaru said.

"Oh you know you love it!" Kasumi said. "So what are you three doing out today?"

"Well we were wondering if you'd help us with our training?" Moegi asked.

"Hmm, I think we can spare some time before lunch. What do you think, guys?" Kasumi asked.

"Hey, I don't mind." Haku said.

"Me neither." Hinata added.

"Very well. Line up team! Kasumi said, as the team lined up. "Konohamaru Corps, your training mission today will be speed and evasion training. You are to avoid us at all costs. Is your mission clear?"

"Yes, sir!" they replied.

"Now, go!" Kasumi said.

Konohamaru and his team took off running through Konoha. We stood back and waited till they got a head start and took off chasing them on the rooftops. They were so caught up in having fun that Moegi didn't notice she ran into Sakura.

"Ow! That hurt!" Moegi said.

"Hey, watch it! Oh, Moegi, are you ok?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that Sakura-san." Moegi replied.

"So what are you doing?" Sakura asked.

"Kasumi-chan is helping us with our training. We have to keep from her catching us." Moegi said.

"Ahh, I see. Well, be more careful next time, ok?" Sakura said.

"I will." Moegi said.

Sakura and Moegi were about to head off in different directions, until they noticed Konohamaru running into a figure wearing a black jumpsuit, and carrying a strange parcel on his back. He then grabbed Konohamaru by his neck.

"Hey you little punk! You're gonna pay for that!" said the boy.

"Are you trying to get us in trouble? Yeesh! We have things to do instead of messing with little kids," said a girl.

"Konohamaru! Are you ok?" Sakura said.

"I will, as soon as this big dork lets me go!" Konohamaru said, struggling to break free.

"Oh, big dork, am I? If you wanted down, all you had to do was ask!" the boy said, throwing Konohamaru at the wall. He would have hit the wall pretty hard if Haku didn't jump down in time to catch him.

"That was close. Can't have you hitting walls now." Haku said.

"Thanks Haku-san." Konohamaru replied.

"Hey, what are you doing, picking on these little kids!" Kasumi said.

"Kasumi, look! By their hitai-ate, they must be from Suna." Hinata said.

"What would two Sand Village ninja be doing here?" Kasumi asked.

"I don't know what you two are talking about, but it's making me mad!" said the girl, reaching for a fan on her back. Before she could pull it out, she felt a rock hit her hand.

"I don't think you'll be needing that." Sasuke said, standing in a tree branch. "I'd advise you to stand down, if you know what's good for you."

"So you think you're tough! Then try this on, pretty boy!" the boy said.

"Kankuro, stand down! You too, Temari." Said a voice. Everyone looked to see a red haired boy with a large gourd on his back standing behind Sasuke.

"Gaara! We didn't mean…" Temari said.

"How did he do that? I never heard him coming! This guy has to be as good as Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke thought.

"I don't want to hear it. Any more trouble from you two and I'll kill you both!" Gaara said, disappearing from the tree in a gust of sand, only to appear in front of Temari and Kankuro.

"Gaara, we're sorry!" Temari said.

"This guy has to be pretty powerful if he can scare those two!" Haku whispered to Kasumi.

"Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about him." Kasumi said.

"Hey, red! What's your name?" Sasuke asked.

"I am called Gaara of the Desert, son of the Kazekage. These are my teammates Kankuro and Temari." Gaara said. "I am here to speak to the Hokage. I also wish to know of your identities."

"The name's Sasuke Uchiha, sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan. As for my friends, that is Haku Kosaka, Mistress of Ice; Hinata Hyuuga, heir to the clan of Hyuuga; Future Hokage Naruto Uzumaki; and First Princess of the Kitsune Clan, Kasumi Uzumaki." Sasuke said.

"What business do you have with my father, anyway?" Kasumi asked.

"So, you are the daughter of the Hokage? That is good. Temari, the scrolls." Gaara said.

"As you wish, Gaara." Temari said, pulling two scrolls from her pouch. She then handed them to Kasumi.

"These are from the Kazekage. See to it that your father gets these." Gaara said. "Temari, Kankuro, we're done here."

"Yes, Gaara." Kankuro said.

The three sand nin disappeared in a puff of smoke. We were left wondering what in the world just happened.

"Guys, something doesn't feel right about that Gaara guy. I sensed a strong presence within him." Kasumi said.

"You know, I felt the same thing Kasumi. What's worse, that presence felt evil." Hinata replied.

"I don't know what's going on, but it looks like you need to get those scrolls to Arashi-sama." Sasuke said.

"Yeah. Why don't you guys go on to Ichiraku's. I'll meet you there when I'm done." Kasumi said.

"Sure thing." Sasuke said.

We split up and I headed for the Hokage Tower. Luckily Otou-san was in his office, so I was able to give him the scrolls.

"So, the son of the Kazekage gave these to you, princess?" Arashi said.

"Yeah, it was him and his two teammates." Kasumi said.

"I see. Well, it looks like things are set in motion for the Chuunin exams." Arashi said.

"Where are the Chuunin exams this year?" Kasumi asked.

"We're holding them here in Konoha this year. I expect a good turnout. Who knows, maybe I'll see you in the exams this year." Arashi said.

"I dunno. I mean we're good, but we've only been genin for like 4 months." Kasumi said.

"That's true, but anything can happen." Arashi said.

"Well if we did get in, I'd hate to see what that Gaara guy would do." Kasumi said.

"What do you mean?" Arashi asked.

"When he showed up to meet his group, he appeared right behind Sasuke." Kasumi said. "What's worse, Sasuke never even heard him appear! It's like this guy has Jounin level stealth skills."

"That is interesting." Arashi said.

"Plus, Hinata and I have gotten some really bad vibes from him. It was like he had an evil presence in him." Kasumi said.

"Hmm, that is strange. Well keep your ears open, and stay alert." Arashi said.

"I will, Otou-san. Well, I'll see you at home tonight. I'm going to Ichiraku's for some ramen." Kasumi said.

"Have fun, princess." Arashi said.

I hurried back to Ichiraku's to meet up with everyone. Otou-san seemed a little concerned when I told him about Gaara. Could something really be up with this sand kid?

The next day was the same old routine. We'd be up early training since Kakashi-sensei has absolutely NO sense of time. Since he was late so much, we figure today we'd have a little surprise for him.

"Good morning, team. Sorry I was so late. I saw a nice little…" Kakashi said, suddenly getting pelted with about 100 snowballs.

"Oh whatever! We may be genin, but we're not idiots!" Kasumi said.

"Yeah, besides you used that supposed café excuse two days ago!" Naruto said.

"Hmm, I did? I guess I need some new ones." Kakashi said, wiping the snow off. "But seriously, I was in a meeting with the Hokage."

"Oh please! Meeting with the Hokage. What was it about, the Chuunin Exams?" Naruto said.

"As a matter of fact, it was." Kakashi replied, taking 5 forms out of his jacket. "This year, rookie teams are allowed to participate."

"Kakashi-sensei, you're really serious about this." Kasumi said.

"Yes. These are the nomination forms, so if you choose to take the exam it is up to you. If you do choose to participate, then you'll need to take these to Room 301 at the Academy tomorrow before 4PM. If you do choose to participate, you have been given a special pass from the Hokage as a custom made team, since most teams consist of three people." Kakashi said. "Since this is a big decision, we won't have practice today." He then vanished in a puff of smoke, most likely to go hide in a corner and read more Icha Icha Paradise.

"Well guys, what do we do?" Hinata asked.

"I'm in. I think we need a bigger challenge." Haku said.

"Same here. I'm tired of doing low rank stuff." Naruto said.

"If Naruto's in, so am I." Sasuke said.

"Well, my vote is to do it." Kasumi said. "All we need is an ok from Hinata, and we're in."

"There's no way I'm gonna keep us out. I'm in." Hinata said.

"Looks like Team Illumina is entering the Chuunin Exams!" Kasumi said.

We headed back home to discuss the potential exam. While thinking of how the exam would be done, Naruto came up with the crazy idea that we'd need survival gear. All of us looked at him like he was crazy, but in reality, that wasn't too shabby of an idea. I decided to go up to my room to grab some of the item scrolls I got from Tenten. She showed me how she uses them to summon her weapons at any time, and said that they could be used to even summon various types of gear from another location, making them excellent in long-term missions. Afterwards, we all went to put together a survival pack. Hinata's consisted of extra medical supplies, bandages, and even some cooking gear. Naruto and Sasuke put together the camping gear, and extra kunai, shurikens, and traps. Haku was in charge of rations, and loaded up with some energy bars she made out of the Kitsune fruit that Oka-san had. Haku even did some experimenting and came up with some new variations that would have many beneficial effects, such as curing poisons, paralysis, heat stroke, frostbite, and sickness. I had my laptop and took care of any loose odds and ends that we'd need. Once we were loaded up, Hinata got the ok to stay with us so we could do more planning, and after dinner, we crashed for the night.

The next morning we headed to the Academy to see Neji's team had all decided to take the exam as well.

"Let me guess, you guys got bored of doing D-rank missions too?" Kasumi said.

"Yeah, we all needed a better challenge." Tenten said.

"I don't blame you. It gets boring around here sometimes." Haku said.

"You said it. Honestly, they expect us to become better with simple D-rank missions." Neji said.

"I…I never knew you felt that way Neji?" Haku said, blushing.

"Of course! I always strive to become the best. Simple missions just don't satisfy me." Neji said.

"Looks like someone has a crush!" Tenten whispered to Kasumi.

"You got that right! Hard to believe he's the one who could probably melt the Ice Princess!" Kasumi whispered back.

"Hey are you guys gonna hurry up, or do we have to wait for you!" Naruto said.

"We're coming Naruto-kun!" Hinata said.

We went up the stairs to the second floor to notice Room 301 was there. Yeah, Room 301 on the second floor. If we need to know simple stuff like seeing through a genjutsu to become Chuunin, then it's in the bag! When we got to the door, there were two guards in front.

"Hey where do you think you're going? Only those who have received nominations may enter for the Chuunin Exam." Said one guard.

"Besides, the Exam itself isn't easy. Many people have failed numerous times taking it." Said the other guard.

"Uh, yeah. Tell me this, though. Why are you guarding Room 201? Room 301 is up another floor." Naruto asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" replied one guard.

"Naruto let me handle this. Ok, where to begin. First of all, you're really the dorkiest bunch of guards there are, trying to guard a room that says 301, when all the others say 202, 203. Second, if Room 301 is right here, then why is there only one flight of stairs to the first floor? Third, Iruka-Sensei teaches in Room 303 and we just saw him walk upstairs. I know it was him because I could tell by his scent." Kasumi said, leaving the guards completely confused. "Besides, you're staring at two Hyuuga, and Uchiha, and two Kitsune Hanyou. Do you really think some lame genjutsu is gonna get by us?"

"Nope. Not for one minute. Guess you know where to go then." One guard said.

"Yeah, we would have went there first, but we were bored." Tenten said.

"Very well. I guess you are ready for the exams." The other guard said.

"Speaking of the exams, where'd Sasuke go?" Naruto said.

"Lee's not here either." Neji said.

"Don't tell me they didn't!" Tenten said.

We ran back to the entryway to see Lee and Sasuke doing a quick sparring match.

"Come on, Sasuke! Do you have to do this now?" Kasumi said.

"Lee, remember, you can't use those moves or you'll be in big trouble!" Tenten said.

Lee and Sasuke were going at it pretty hardcore. Sasuke was doing his best to land hits, but Lee was just too fast for him. The two parried each other's blows and slid back into a stalemate stance, only Sasuke had decided to get serious.

"I see, so this is the bloodline of the Uchiha, the Sharingan." Lee said.

"That it is. Just remember, any ninjutsu or genjutsu won't get past me now." Sasuke said.

"Then I guess that will be no problem for me." Lee said, rushing in to nail Sasuke in the chin, launching him in the air.

"What in the? Why couldn't I read that move?" Sasuke said.

"Because that move was a taijutsu move." Lee said, appearing behind Sasuke, ready to strike again. "You may be able to read my movements, but if you cannot keep up with the speed of my body, then your Sharingan is essentially useless. That is the power of the Ultimate Taijutsu!" Suddenly the bandages around Lee's arms began to swirl around Sasuke, until a kunai came out of nowhere and pinned one of his bandages to the wall.

"LEE! What do you think you're doing?" Lee landed and turned to see a turtle talking to him

"Wait? Did that turtle just talk?" Naruto said.

"Oh no…Lee just had to do it, didn't he?" Neji said.

"What do you mean Neji-kun?" Haku said.

"You'll see in a minute." Tenten said, putting her hand on her forehead.

"Lee, you know the rules of that technique!" the turtle said.

"I know, but I never intended to use the other techniques." Lee said.

"Lee, you idiot! By revealing your techniques, you set yourself up for more trouble!" the turtle said.

"I understand." Lee replied.

"Then you know the punishment for your actions." The turtle said. Suddenly in a puff of smoke, an older version of Lee appeared.

"What in the world?" Kasumi said.

"That's what I was talking about!" Neji said. "Lee just had to summon HIM!"

"Who exactly is that? And has he even heard of a think called an eyebrow arch?" Haku said.

"That's our Jounin leader, Gai-sensei.' Tenten replied.

"You mean, he's the yutz Kakashi-sensei goes on about?" Naruto said.

"Yeah, they're like you and Sasuke, Naruto. Big time rivals at just about EVERYTHING!" Tenten said.

"Let me guess, he's also the reason Lee looks the way he does." Kasumi said.

"You got that right. He even tried to get me and Neji to wear those stupid spandex suits." Tenten replied.

At that moment we all pictured Tenten and Neji wearing those green spandex suits…then immediately stopped thinking it! Man that was a scary image!

"Tenten, if I EVER catch you in green spandex, I will personally disown you as my friend!" Kasumi said.

"Trust me, you'll NEVER catch me in that getup!" Tenten replied.

"Lee, you IDIOT!" Gai said, smacking Lee in the head. Lee hit the ground pretty hard, then looked up at Gai with tears in his eyes.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee said.

"Lee, do not worry. You still show the power of youth!" Gai said, kneeling and then hugging Lee.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee cried.

"Lee!" Gai said.

They kept that bit up for about 5 minutes. Man, it was the WEIRDEST thing any of us ever saw! I still don't see how Tenten and Neji managed to keep their sanity around those two!

"All right, enough expressing the fires of youth. Lee you do realize you broke a rule by starting combat." Gai said.

"Yes, Gai-sensei." Lee replied.

"Therefore, as punishment, you shall do 500 laps around Konoha on your hands." Gai said.

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee said, excited.

"You mean, he's actually excited about a punishment?" Haku said.

"Unfortunately, yes. Lee's always been like that." Neji said.

"Ahh so I see, Kakashi's team is also here taking the exam." Gai said. "You know, Kakashi and I…"

"We know! You're like eternal rivals!" Kasumi said.

"That's right! I have Kakashi beat at 50 wins to his 49! Therefore I am stronger!" Gai said.

"Uhh, yeah, we'll be sure to let him know that!" Kasumi said.

"Very well. Lee, Neji, Tenten, do you best and let the power of youth explode!" Gai said, disappearing with the turtle.

"You bet, Gai-sensei!!" Lee exclaimed. Neji and Tenten were like 'whatever'!

"You know, I don't know who has it worse!" Hinata said.

"What do you mean by that?" Tenten asked.

"Well, you guys have that crazed nut of a sensei, and we have a late pervert!" Hinata said.

"So basically you're saying all of us are pretty much screwed?" Neji said.

"Something like that." Hinata replied.

"You know, she's right." Tenten said.

"Hey, why don't we go ahead and get to the exam room. I think we've had enough weirdness for now." Kasumi said.

"That sounds good. Hey, anyone know what's up with Sasuke? He hasn't said anything for a while." Naruto said.

"Oh he's back there in the corner thinking or something." Kasumi said.

"You mean to tell me, I lost to a freak like that! And there's another one just like him??" Sasuke thought to himself, over and over.

"Hey Sasuke! Come on!" Haku said.

"Oh, uhh, yeah. I'm coming." Sasuke said, coming back to reality.

We headed upstairs to the third floor. It seems Kakashi-sensei was there waiting for us.

"So, I take it you decided to participate. You know you are a very lucky team this year." Kakashi said.

"Why is that Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"Normally the exams allow teams of three, but you have been given special permission as a Hokage built team." Kakashi said. "Therefore you won't be split up."

"Sweet!" Naruto said.

"Well since you have shown up on your own, I now give you my blessing. Good luck Team Illumina!" Kakashi said, opening the door.

"Oh yeah! Chuunin exams look out! Team Illumina is in the house!' Naruto said, entering the room.

We entered Room 301 to see a TON of genin there. They came from all over just to take these exams! This was definitely gonna be a lot of fun!

"Sasuke-kun? You ok?" Kasumi asked.

"Oh, no! My fan girl senses just went off!" Sasuke said.

"What do you…oh boy!" Kasumi said, turning to see Ino and Sakura charging straight for Sasuke.

"SASUKE-KUN!!!! WHERE WERE YOU!!!" Ino and Sakura said.

"Kasumi, quick, I got to think of something!!" Sasuke said.

"Uh…ok." Kasumi said. She couldn't think of anything to do, so she only did the first thing that came to mind. She hugged up on Sasuke and gave him a kiss on the cheek, right in front of Ino and Sakura. That left those two speechless!

"Ka-kasumi?" Sasuke said.

"Just go with it! It'll give you a little bit of peace!" Kasumi whispered.

"Kasumi, when did you get Sasuke?" Ino asked.

"Oh, uh, it was about two weeks ago. We went on a date, and Kasumi had a lot of fun, so we started hanging together more often." Sasuke said.

"Y-yeah, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing." Kasumi said.

"I know you girls like me and all, but I'm sorry. Guess I'm off the menu now." Sasuke said.

Ino looked at Sakura. Both of them had tears in their eyes. They then hugged each other and said, "Oh no! The Sasuke Uchiha Fan Club is no more!!! Waa!!!"

"Oh brother! So I see you guys are taking this thing too." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, pretty much." Haku replied. "Why are you so depressed about the exam?"

"Because it's just a waste of time." Shikamaru said.

"That's only what you think, Shikamaru." Kiba said, walking up with Akamaru and Shino. Akamaru jumped out of Kiba's jacket and ran up to Hinata.

"Hey Akamaru! It's good to see you again!" Hinata said, kneeling down to scratch Akamaru's ears.

"Arf!" Akamaru said.

"So I guess the Konoha Rookie 14 are all here now." Kiba said.

"Looks like it. So, how far do you think we'll do in this exam?" Ino asked.

"Don't really know, but we're gonna prove that we're the best ones out here!" Kiba said.

"Hey, you guys might wanna keep it down. You're drawing a lot of attention." Said a silver haired genin with glasses.

"Hey, who are you?" Sasuke asked.

"The name's Kabuto. Looks like my theory was right. You guys must be fresh out of the academy." Kabuto said. "I'm just giving you the heads up because there's a lot of tension in here and I didn't want you guys to get hurt."

"Kabuto, how do you know so much? Is this your first time taking the exam?" Kasumi asked.

"Nope. It's my seventh. I've taken the exam for the past three years, since it's held twice a year." Kabuto said.

"I see, then you must have loads of information on the way things are run." Sasuke said.

"I do. I even have info on all the genin here as well, including you guys." Kabuto said. "I keep them here on my Nin-cards."

"How did you get all that info?" Kasumi said.

"I work on and off at the Hokage Tower." Kabuto said. "So any particular person you want some info on?"

"Yeah, two people. Gaara of the Desert, and Rock Lee." Sasuke said.

"Ok, we'll start with Lee first." Kabuto said, taking out a blank card. He then touched the card to reveal a nice amount of info. It was almost similar to the info Kasumi kept on the Illumina team.

"How did you do that?" Naruto asked.

"It's very simple Naruto-kun." Hinata said. "By channeling chakra into the cards, the information appears. The cards are designed to react only to Kabuto's chakra, so no one else can steal the information. ANBU Black Ops use these cards to also keep information on criminals and missing nin."

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Naruto said.

"Ok let's see here, Rock Lee. It say's he's primarily a taijutsu user, with very low skills in ninjutsu or genjutsu. He's 13 years old, teammates include Neji Hyuuga and Tenten, and his sensei is Gai Maito. Since graduating the academy, he's completed 20 D-rank missions and 12 C-rank missions. This is also his first Chuunin exam." Kabuto said.

"Now for Gaara." Sasuke said.

"Ok, There's not much background information about him, but his mission stats are unique.8 C-rank missions and one B-rank? A B-rank as a genin? Well since there isn't any more info, I will tell you some grapevine information. It is said that every single mission Gaara has returned from, he never suffered a single scratch!" Kabuto said.

"What! There's no way!" Kasumi said. "I knew something wasn't right about that guy."

"Well considering the number of genin here, there's sure to be a lot of good competition. You might not see many Sound nin since they're still fairly new." Kabuto said.

"Sound Village…why does that have the odd presence of evil to it?" Kasumi said.

"I wouldn't worry about it, nee-chan. We're gonna kick their butts anyway!" Naruto said, slightly trembling.

"Naruto-kun…are you ok?" Hinata asked. "You know it's gonna be alright."

"You bet it is!" Naruto said, shaking off his nervousness and turning to the crowd. "It's because I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the Future Hokage! I will not lose to anyone!"

"Naruto Uzumaki? His team's here?" said a Leaf genin.

"That means Kasumi-chan is here too!" said another Leaf genin.

"You guys are the team to beat this year! But don't think we're going easy on you or your sister!" said a third genin.

"As the son of the Hokage, I expect each of you to fight me at full power! I wouldn't have it any other way!" Naruto said.

"You got it Naruto!" cheered a Leaf Genin

"Heh, Naruto. What are we gonna do with you, man?" Sasuke asked.

Over in the corner three Sound nin looked at Naruto's group. They weren't too happy overhearing about their village.

"So, they don't have anything on the Sound, huh. Why don't we give them something to remember us by?" said a Sound nin.

"Do what you want, just don't make too big of a scene." Said a female Sound nin.

"Great Naruto! Now you've made an enemy out of every single genin here!" Shikamaru said.

"Oh come on! It's not that bad." Naruto said.

"You're right, it isn't that bad. But that is!" Hinata said, noticing a Sound nin charging for the group. He threw a punch at Kabuto but Kabuto dodged completely…or did he? Kabuto then dropped to the ground, his glasses broke, and he threw up. Kasumi and Hinata fell to their knees, holding their ears, and Akamaru dropped, wincing in pain.

"What happened? Kabuto wasn't even touched!" Sasuke said.

"It's sound waves! He's attacking with a high frequency sound wave that can't be heard by us humans. Since Akamaru, Kasumi, and Hinata have enhanced hearing, they can hear it, and it looks like it's excruciating!" Tenten said.

"We'll be…ok." Kasumi said, struggling to her feet. "Someone check on Kabuto."

"I'm ok." Kabuto said, wiping his mouth clean. "It wasn't major."

"Heh, that's what you think. Here's some news for you. The three Sound Genin, soon to be Future Chuunin! Add that to your little ninja cards!" said the Sound nin, walking back to his team.

As things were quieting down, there was a puff of smoke, and a tough looking ninja with numerous ninja behind him appeared.

"Hey you worthless pukes, shut up!" said the tough ninja.

"Who are you?" asked a Leaf Genin.

"Name's Morino Ibiki, your proctor for the first part of the test." Ibiki said. "As for you Sound genin, you want me to throw you out before you even see a test sheet?"

"Sorry. We're just a little too hyped up." Replied one of the Sound nin.

"Well, just to clear things up. There will be no fighting unless I clear it. Even if I do clear it, killing is prohibited. Break this rule and I throw your loser butt right out of here!" Ibiki said.

Whoa, this guy is really hardcore! I'd definitely hate to go up against him in a fight. Illumina Powers or not! He just scares my by looking at him!

"Now before we enter the examination room, you will each need to take one of these tabs. They will tell you where to sit at during the exam. They will react to your chakra and assign you a seat." Ibiki said.

"Boy this is gonna be fun. Fun like getting your teeth pulled." Naruto said, taking a tab.

We each took a tab and saw numbers appear. Once we entered the exam room I noticed where a few of the others were. I wasn't sitting beside anyone I knew, but Tenten was behind me, Neji was on the other side, and I noticed Sakura and Naruto were beside each other. Haku and Hinata sat beside each other as well.

(Author's Note)

I'm gonna try to make an image of where everyone sat in the exam room. It's ASCII art, so obviously it will probably suck.

X is a random Genin, the names are the characters.

O is where the two hidden Chuunin are.

Temari X X X Shino X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X Sasuke X X X X X X Lee X X X X X
X Gaara X X X X X X X X Neji X X X X X X X Tenten X X X X
X X X X Shikamaru X X X O X X X X X X X X Kasumi X X X X
X X X X Kiba X X X X X X Chouji Ino X X X X X X X X X X X
Kankuro X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X Sakura Naruto X X X Hinata Haku X
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X O X X X

I made it in Arial Narrow, so yeah it's gonna look weird.

(End Author's Note)

"Least I'm beside someone familiar." Sakura said.

"You said it." Naruto replied.

"You will notice a sheet of paper in front of you. This is your exam sheet. Do not turn it over until I explain a few rules." Ibiki said. "First of all, for this test you will have 10 points. For each question you answer wrong, you will lose a point. If you answer no questions, you will lose all your points and you will fail. Get all the questions right, and you keep your 10 points. Second, this test is team based. That means if one of your teammates fail, then your whole team will fail."

"Oh great! This really sucks! I'm gonna ruin it for the whole team!" Naruto thought.

"Oh man! We're at a serious disadvantage now!" Kasumi thought.

"Finally, there are supervisors lined all around the test area. If you are caught cheating, then you will lose two points. That means 5 strikes and you fail. You and your team will then be asked to leave."

"Oh man, this is just great! I hate written tests! And I don't know where Kasumi is either!" Naruto said.

"Now, you will have one hour to complete the exam…starting…" Ibiki said, looking at his watch to hit 12. "Now!"

We turned over our test papers and started going to town on the test. I had seen a lot of these questions so far, so it wasn't too bad. Naruto however, was shaking badly! He was really nervous. It was most likely because he didn't want to ruin it for everyone else

"Oh man! This is bad! I'm so nervous I can't concentrate!" Naruto thought. "Look at Sakura though, she's blazing through this thing."

"Ok so a ninja…wait. Naruto doesn't look too good. He's really nervous. I bet he wishes he were beside Hinata or Kasumi. Hmm, wait a minute. What are those supervisors doing? Wait…they're documenting who's cheating. Could it be that you're supposed to cheat, but not get caught?" Sakura thought. She then glanced up to see what looked like an…Ice mirror? The mirror said,

"Sakura. Kasumi figured it out. We are supposed to cheat, but not get caught. Hinata found someone that is burning through this test, so she's getting all the answers from him. Kasumi is ok because Hinata is sending her the answers through Morse code. I will try to send you the answers you need. Try to get them to Naruto if you can. Also let him know everything will be OK and he doesn't have to worry. Thanks Sakura!

Haku."

"I knew it!" Sakura thought. "That changes everything. That will make Naruto feel a lot better." She then began to twirl her pencil to make it look like she was thinking. In reality she was forming hand seals to create a simple genjutsu. When she finished the seals, she touched her pencil to the table, near Naruto's test. There were some words that started to form on his paper.

"Oh, man I'm gonna fail! I'm gonna…hey what's this?" Naruto thought, looking at his paper. He started seeing writing appear out of nowhere. It said

"Naruto. I just got a message from Haku. She said we're supposed to cheat on this test, but not get caught. She said Hinata found someone that seems to have all the answers and is getting them from him. She will try to get us the answers if she can. I can use my genjutsu to send you the answers. All you have to do is copy what I send you. Just make it look like you're really thinking hard. Also Haku wanted me to tell you that Hinata said good luck, and not to be nervous. We're all gonna pass this thing Naruto, you can count on that!

Sakura."

"This is great! Thanks a ton Sakura!" Naruto thought. He shifted his eyes to where Sakura could see them, then nodded to thank her. Sakura did the same.

Most of the other genin figured out what was going on. Neji found the other person who seemed to be doing very well and used his Byakugan to get the answers. Sasuke was right behind Neji, so he used his Sharingan to easily copy the hand motions and get the answers. Kasumi had noticed Tenten using Chakra Wire to control the mirrors in the light panels above them. Tenten had moved the mirror over Kasumi's paper noticing it said she was getting the answers from Hinata in Morse code. She told Tenten to copy the answers and get them to whoever was near.

Ino had used her Mind Switch Jutsu on Sakura and found out the news from Inner Sakura about the purpose of the test. After Inner Sakura gave her the answers she needed, Ino returned to share the new info with Chouji. Kiba had Akamaru scout for the answers while sitting on top of his head. He then let out some very low pitched barks that only Kiba could hear, and Kiba was able to get the answers he needed. Shino used one of his Kikai bugs to easily scout around and get the info he needed. Gaara had created an eye out of sand and had it placed near the ceiling to see all of the test papers.

As the test progressed, many careless genin had been eliminated, increasing the tension and pressure in the room. It didn't help Naruto much when one genin behind him was eliminated. He thought they would have called him out, but no…out of nowhere a kunai flew past his face, hitting the genin's test behind him. It trimmed off a part of his hair, and left him pretty shocked. Sakura had helped him get the nine questions on his test sheet done, but he had thought that the test was supposed to have ten questions? He looked around to notice everyone was still in the exam. He also noticed Kankuro coming back into the exam room, after he had to leave to go to the bathroom. Getting his mind back on track, he noticed there was 15 minutes left in the test. That's when Ibiki began to speak.

"Well, looks like we've gotten rid of the weaker links. Now it's time to take it up a notch. Time for the Sudden Death question." Ibiki said.

"Sudden Death Question??" Naruto thought.

"So how do you think they're doing in there?" Kakashi said.

"I think they're doing well for rookies. I'm sure they'll be ok." Asuma said.

"Who did they get for their test instructor anyway?" Kurenai asked.

"They got Morino Ibiki this year." Asuma said.

"They got that sadistic freak? Then passing the first part is definitely gonna be harder than I expected." Kakashi said.

"What do you mean by 'sadistic freak', Kakashi?" Kurenai asked.

"You wouldn't really know since you're a new Jounin." Asuma said.

"Let's just say, he's a pro at what he does." Kakashi said.

"A pro? At what?" Kurenai asked.

"He specializes in Torture and Interrogation. He's captain of the torture and interrogation squad." Asuma said.

"He won't physically harm the teams, but he'll drive them downright insane!" Kakashi said.

"Sudden Death Question? Is he trying to get us to risk it all?" Kasumi said to herself.

"Now, for the final question, you have two options. You can take it, or you can decide not to take it." Ibiki said.

"We have a choice?" Temari asked. "What happens if we turn it down?"

"If you choose not to take the question, then you will lose all your points, fail the exam, and cause your teammates to fail as well." Ibiki said. "However, if you take the question and fail it, then you will never see another Chuunin Exam again, and be branded permanent Genin!"

"Say WHAT? You have to be kidding? What about the people who took the exams previously?" Kiba said.

"They got lucky since they had a different instructor." Ibiki said. "You still have a way out, just don't take the question."

"Oh man! This is a lose-lose situation! If we take the question and fail, we're permanent Genin! If we don't take it, the whole team fails! What are you supposed to do in a situation like this?" Tenten thought.

"Now to being. If you wish not to take it, then raise your hand. We will log your number and you are free to leave.

Numerous genin began to raise their hands. Even the genin beside Kasumi and Naruto raised their hands as well.

"This is really bad! What if Naruto can't pass the question? I have faith in him, but I know he hates this kind of pressure! He's stuck between costing us a chance to be Chuunin, or his chance to be Hokage! Naruto-kun…I'm sorry, I don't want you to feel this bad. There's another exam later this year. I'll help you study for it, and we can do it again." Kasumi said, preparing to raise her hand. Instead, she saw the one thing no one would expect. Naruto actually stood up and raised his hand! He was shaking as he did it, too!

"Naruto!" said Sakura. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Just then, Naruto slammed his hand down on the table with a fire burning in his eyes. "You think you're gonna scare me? Do you even know who I am? I am the son of Yondaime, brother to the First Princess of the Kitsune clan and the sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan, future husband to the Second Princess of The Kitsune Clan, Friend to all Konoha Genin, and Future Godaime Hokage of Konoha! I am Naruto Uzumaki, and I will not be underestimated. I could care less about being a genin forever. I SHALL become Hokage! So give me the stupid question and lets get this thing over with!" Naruto said.

"Naruto-kun, how could I ever doubt you? I knew you wouldn't give up. That's not in your Nindo!" Kasumi said to herself.

"Naruto-kun! I'll see to it you become Hokage someday. I'll be right there by your side. You really do love me, Naruto-kun." Hinata thought.

"That's the Naruto we know. As blood brothers, you burn with the fires of Uchiha. I'm proud of you Naruto." Sasuke thought.

"I'm going to ask you one more time? This is your last chance. Are you willing to risk your life on this?" Ibiki said.

"My word will not be broken. Not by you, not by anyone!" Naruto said, sitting back down.

"I see. Arashi-sama was right. His spirit is a tough one. He will make an excellent Hokage someday. How many are left…80. Anko's not gonna like this." Ibiki thought. He smiled and all the supervisors noticed that the test was over.

"Very well. To everyone remaining, the test is now over. You have all passed to the second part of the exam." Ibiki said.

The entire room collapsed to the ground after the tension had been cut. It did feel like 10 tons of pressure had just been released.

"Wait a minute? If we passed then what the heck was the tenth question?" Tenten asked.

"There wasn't one." Ibiki said. "Unless you count choosing to take the question."

"So you mean the other nine questions didn't matter?" Temari asked.

"No, the other nine tested your information gathering skills." Ibiki said.

"What do you mean by information gathering?" Temari said.

"He means getting the answers without getting caught!" Ino said.

"Something like that. If you remember the rules, this was a team test. This meant there was pressure on each of you to do well so you didn't mess up for your team." Ibiki said. "However the questions that were given were not normal Genin level questions. If you came to the conclusion of cheating to get the information you were correct. We planted two Chuunin who knew the answers. They were there so you could copy off them and get the answers. You just had to do it without getting caught."

"I knew it!" Kasumi said.

"Also if you notice. We have 82 people left. Since we have one team of five and the rest are teams of three, the other two have to be fakes." Ibiki said.

"So you were a Chuunin after all." Haku said to the person in front of her.

"How did you know?" the Chuunin said, smiling.

"My friend here is the heir to the Hyuuga clan. She got suspicious and used her Byakugan. Also she noticed you didn't take time to think before you started writing." Haku said.

"Heh, That's definitely very perceptive of her. Good job." Replied the Chuunin.

"There is something you must know however." Ibiki said, removing his bandanna to reveal numerous screw holes, burn marks, and various injuries in his head. "Sometimes information is more valuable than mission performance, battles, or even your own life. That's why those who cheated and got caught failed. You never know if the information you have is accurate. When you have it, you have one of the most deadly tools in a ninja's arsenal. That's why we had you cheat. To separate those who could get it without being caught clearly have what it takes."

"But I still don't get the whole tenth question thing?" Temari said, still looking confused.

"Actually that question was the true purpose of this test. Take it, or not to take it. Your consequences were, if you didn't take it, you took your whole team down. If you did take it, and you failed, you would lose the chance to ever be a Chuunin." Ibiki said. "Look at it like this. Say you are a Chuunin, and you're given the mission of recovering dangerous information. You are given a team and you don't know the abilities of your team. You have no clue as to what will happen on the mission, you don't even know if you'll survive. Now you have two options. If you don't take the mission because you want your team to live, then you show cowardice and weakness. However if you take the mission, you show you are willing to risk your life for your team, you know the dangers, and you still want to go through. You are showing leadership, courage, determination; all these are qualities of a Chuunin. Therefore those who chose to risk never becoming a Chuunin again made the correct choice. You've all passed the first part. Congratulations."

Everyone felt a huge wave of relief after hearing Ibiki. We were all about to start cheering until a crazy looking woman in a brown coat jumped through the window.

"Don't start celebrating yet! This exam is just getting started." Said the woman. "Good gravy Ibiki, you left 80? 27 teams this year?"

"Actually its 26. There's a 5 man team this year as well." Ibiki said.

"Whatever. Ok you maggots! The name's Anko Mitarashi. I'm in charge of the next part of your exam. Follow me so we can get to the real fun!" Anko said.

"Yeesh, this chick's crazier than Naruto!" Sakura said.

We all left the testing room with Anko. At least that was over with. Now I'm wondering what we have to worry about next!

"Naruto Uzumaki, eh." Ibiki said, collecting the tests. When he got to Naruto's he noticed it had said one thing on the back. 'Hey Ibiki, I got this from my sister…Never underestimate me. I will always find a way to win!' "He is definitely the son of the Hokage. I bet he'll surpass Hokage-sama easily someday."

Well the Chuunin exams are a go! Man, these things are long! Oh well I'm having fun. As you know the next chapter will be the Forest of Death. Orochimaru makes his appearance, steals the Shadow Gem, Sasuke gets the Curse Seal, someone gets their chakra sealed. Also I have already chosen who will be the Lightning and Earth Knights. I am going to make Neji the Lightning Knight, but as for the Earth Knight, I'm keeping that one secret for now! Also sorry for introducing Konohamaru so late. I know people usually introduce him after Naruto graduates, but I couldnt find a place for him. I'm gonna try to do the whole Forest of Death in one shot. Hopefully I'll have it up in two or three days. Please keep sending reviews. I really appreciate that a lot of people like this story! Also a little bit more of the backstory will be revealed when Orochimaru debuts. Thanks again and Keep reading!!!