Chapter Nine: Chunnin Exams

I don't own Naruto

In the Sand Village

"Lord, it's the Chunnin Exams once again, it's being held in Konoha this year," the assistant said.

"Good," the lord said, and just laughed.

Back in Konoha

Sasuke walked home to find that Kushina and Minato are still there, and his parents were having a very nice conversation.

"I'm home," Sasuke called out to let his parents know.

"Welcome home Sasuke," Mikoto said to her son.

"Sasuke," Kushina said, "Did you have a nice time with Alli?"

Sasuke's parents looked at their son with a weird look. It was odd that their son was with a girl.

"Actually it was kind of nice, but weird, but she is home sleeping though," Sasuke said as he headed towards his room.

"You didn't touch my daughter did you?!" Minato called out to him.

"NO SIR!" Sasuke yelled back in fear.

Naruto was out with his friends Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Hinata, Lee, and they were busy setting things up for the Chunnin Exams. Naruto had a nice date with Hinata and decided to finally register for it. The sad thing is, he would have to be put in a different team, and he would have to trust them for a while.

"Oh guess what guys, Alli said she was going to be a shinobi," Naruto told them.

"Great another one," Shika mumbled.

"WHAT WAS THAT SHIKAMARU?!" Naruto yelled loudly.

"Oi, oi, oi, calm down you idiot," Shikamaru covered his ears.

"I'm happy for your sister Naruto," Hinata told him. Ever since Naruto started to date Hinata, she stopped with her stuttering. It was a relief. Naruto really couldn't handle her stuttering through the whole relationship.

"So am I, it was about time that she decided on the decision," Naruto admitted. "I don't think I could handle her being targeted and targeted again."

"But aren't you targeted since you have the nine-tailed fox Naruto?" Choji asked while eating some chips.

"I guess, but I could just beat up whoever comes after me."

"Haha, I can imagine Naruto losing for sure, not winning, right Akamaru?" Kiba said to his dog.

"Why you," Naruto started but Hinata calmed him down, "Now is not the time to fight. We still have tons of work to do."

"Sorry Hinata," all the guys apologized. Then they all finished working on what they had to do, and say goodbye, and hopefully start the Chunnin exams.

Alli woke up from her long nap. She saw a note on table, and read it.

Alli,

I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh and tomorrow is the start of the Chunnin Exams, which means Naruto is going to be in it. It's usually different every year. I'll explain more later. Meet me tomorrow near Ichiraku Ramen at noon. There should be nobody there because of the exams. Ja ne.

-Sasuke

She smiled. It was like a little date, but they were just friends and nothing more, even though he made her feel really happy inside, she'll just keep that part to herself though. Alli headed towards the kitchen and started to make a family meal out of Kushina's cookbooks. She decided since no one was home, she could surprise them with the meal.

Alli got out some vegetables and meat, and made some ramen noodles, but not going to have it in the broth. She also made some eggs and bacon. It was definitely a feast for a family.

The first person to even walk through the door was Naruto.

"Hey Naruto," Alli greeted with a smile, "How was your day?"

"Great! I just have to eat and then get a good night's sleep and be ready for the Chunnin exams tomorrow." Naruto sat down and was about to eat, but Alli stopped him before one piece of food even touched his mouth.

"Naruto! Aren't you going to wait until mother and father to get home?" Alli asked.

"Yeah, but I'm really hungry!" Naruto whined.

"Just let me call the Uchiha Residence, and get them over," Alli told him.

"You're going to call Sasuke's house? Why would you want to do that?" Naruto was baffled.

"Because Mom and Dad are over there, that's why." A spark came into Naruto's mind. He totally forgot about that. He knew that they usually go over there.

Alli picked up the phone and dialed the number. She let it ring until she heard a voice on the other line.

Uchiha residence, Mikoto Uchiha speaking

Hello Mrs. Uchiha, it's Alli

Alli! It's good to hear your voice. You're parents told me all about you. Do you want to talk to Sasuke?

No Ma'am. Actually I was calling to see if my parents are there.

Yes they are.

Really? Can you tell them to come home? It's dinner time, and I actually made Naruto stop eating for once to wait for my parents to come home.

Oh dear, I'm sorry for making you guys wait. I'll tell them.

Thank you Mrs. Uchiha

Call me Mikoto dear.

Okay, I'll let you go now. Bye.

Alli hung the phone and sat down at the table.

"Are they coming home?" Naruto asked, his mouth was watering with the smell of food filling his taste buds.

"Yeah, they should be here in 10 minutes and did you wash your hands before you ate?" Alli asked him. At least she had manners.

"No…" Naruto stated. Then he rushed off waiting to go and wash his hands.

Alli wiped the sweat off her face. That saved them a bit of time, especially since Naruto was really hungry. Then the door opened and it was her parents.

"I'm so glad your back. Naruto wasn't going to wait any longer," Alli said in relief and she was starting to get hungry as well.

"Haha, well we are glad to be back to spend time with family," Kushina said and then she and Minato sat down. Then Naruto came and sat back down. He noticed his parents were home and he started to chow down.

"This is really good food Alli-chan," Naruto said to her.

"Thank you Naruto," Alli replied.

"You made this sweetheart?" Minato asked his daughter.

"Yeah, I decided to make dinner tonight so mom can have a break," Alli said.

"Thank you dear," Kushina replied.

"I can't until tomorrow, I'm going to pass the Chunnin exams for sure, just you wait!" Naruto said proudly.

"I was told this will be the third time you are taking this exam Naruto," Alli told him.

"Huh? Who told you that?" Naruto asked. For all he knew, she was home most of the day.

"I got my sources," Alli said suspiciously while laughing.

Naruto pouted. "You better pass Naruto," His father said. "If you want tougher missions, then you better start becoming more mature."

"Yeah, but Tsunade-baachan always give me tougher mission dad," Naruto said.

"True, but if you want be respected among your peers, then you got to raise your rank."

"What about Alli?" Kushina asked, after all Alli just decided she wanted to be a ninja. "She can't go to the academy. Everyone there is younger than her. It would be an embarrassment."

"I can find someone for her," Minato said. "Actually I have the perfect person."

"Thanks dad," Alli said.

"No problem," Minato replied, "Since I really can't train you by myself since the Chunnin exams and I'm going to have tons of paperwork to do."

"Well it is a big event," Alli said out loud. She considered that since everyone talks about it. Minato looks over to his son.

"Be careful Naruto," Minato said, "Sand Village isn't on good terms with us, you might be a top target depending on the test."

"I understand dad, but I will win this time, trust me," Naruto said.

Minato sighed in relief. It was one less thing he had to worry about. He was actually more worried about Alli though. The reason was because if the Sand Village might actually take away his daughter and he wasn't going to let anyone let his daughter be taken away again.

The Next Day

Alli went out for the day. She remembered that she had to meet Sasuke at Ichiraku ramen. She was so happy that she could. She was really hungry, and she was betting that Sasuke was going to explain lots of stuff to her today.

She made it to the ramen shop and Sasuke wasn't there yet. She looked at the time, and she came a bit early. Alli was just way to excited. She decided to start off by ordering something nice. She thanked the old man.

"Old man, do you think Naruto will finally be a Chunnin this year?" Alli asked.

"Huh? How do you know Naruto?" the old man asked.

"Haha I'm his sister, I just found out a few days ago," Alli said.

"Oh haha nice to meet you by the way, I hope you have the same passion for ramen as Naruto does," the old man replied.

"Ramen is good, but you should always have a variety of food in your diet," Alli sweat dropped.

"Haha that is a smart choice Alli," the old man replied, "Maybe this year may be his lucky year."

"I hope so," Alli said, and then she heard footsteps that sounded familiar.

"Sasuke!" Alli called happily. She was glad he was there. Sasuke was surprised. He didn't expect her to be here early, none the less already having a bowl of ramen.

"Why and how did you get here so early?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I woke up early, which was surprising, and then I headed toward the ramen shop. This place isn't that far from where I live. Then I noticed you weren't here so I decided to order a bowl of ramen, and I don't have money so you have to pay for it," Alli told him.

"I don't have any money either, I was going to suggest we go somewhere else," Sasuke said.

"EH!" Alli replied back. If this was going to happen she was going just going to wait. Now Alli had to somehow pay back the debt, "Oh no, how am I supposed to pay for this meal?"

"It's on the house," the old man said. He heard Alli's sadness, and since she is related to Naruto he might as well lend her a treat.

"Thank you!" Alli told him. She was really happy and thankful. Sasuke smiled. Then he heard familiar voices out in the open. He knew those voices, they were Sakura and Ino. They usually never come around the ramen shop. Sasuke jumped over the counter and told the old man he was hiding from the fangirls, and went through the back door and jumped on the roof, and waited for Alli to come out.

"Ino-pig!"

"Forehead girl!"

Alli sweat dropped. Those were the weirdest names ever. Then Sakura and Ino walked in.

"Alli!" Sakura said surprised. She heard that Sasuke was going to the Ramen shop and wanted to meet him here.

"Hey Sakura, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard Sasuke was going to be here, so I hurried with my last shift at the hospital and walked here, then Ino-pig followed me here!" Sakura whined. She just wanted Sasuke all to herself.

"Oh, he isn't here. I don't think I've seen him all day," Alli lied. Even though Alli wasn't a skilled ninja yet, her amazing lying skills tend to save the day.

"Awh," Ino and Sakura said at the same time.

"Maybe he is the training field, you know him, guys tend to want to become stronger each and every day," Alli suggested.

"That's so right!" Ino cried, "Maybe we get to see him take off his shirt and train like that!"

Alli almost wanted to punch both of them in the face. It was an obvious lie, but then again once it comes to Sasuke those girls will say anything. Alli didn't understand why she felt the need to protect Sasuke like this though. Ino and Sakura finally rushed out of the Ramen Shop and raced to the training ground. Alli was kind of glad they were gone. Then Alli said goodbye to the old man, and left.

Sasuke finally came down from the roof, waited for Alli.

"Where do you want to go?" Sasuke asked.

"Somewhere most girls don't hang out," Alli said.

"There's a river around here in the forest, and the Chunnin proctors aren't using them for the exam. We can go there, if you want," Sasuke suggested.

"Do you think any girls will be there?" Alli asked, she was actually kind of scared of the girls here. They were definitely stronger than her here, though she didn't show the weakness though.

"Not really, most girls here are afraid of bugs," Sasuke admitted.

"Oh Haha, that's funny," Alli replied.

Sasuke and Alli finally got to the river. It was a nice and calm picture. Alli was overjoyed, she actually wanted to play in the river. Alli went and just went and played in the water. She just went in her clothes. She barely ever got sick.

"Alli are you sure you want to play in the water?" Sasuke asked, not even going in the water to join his friend.

"I'm sure! It's not like I'm going to get sick," Alli replied back.

"Suit yourself," Sasuke said. He just watched her playing in the river. She was like a little child that never got to experience a childhood. Sasuke noticed how graceful Alli was while she was enjoying herself. A few minutes later, Alli came out of the water.

"That was a nice refreshing time," Alli said to Sasuke.

"I see," Sasuke replied.

"You should try it sometime," Alli suggested.

"What?"

"You should try to enjoy yourself sometime. It seems like you always are worried, or just want to be yourself all the time," Alli told him.

"Not when I'm with you," Sasuke thought to himself.

"When I actually find the time to," Sasuke said, "I got to keep a good reputation for my family's honor."

"Does that really even matter?" Alli asked quietly. She sat down on a rock and thought quietly to herself. "Why can't you just be yourself?"

"It's a thing you don't understand," Sasuke admitted.

"I don't?"

"No." Sasuke sighed. He didn't want to explain it. "Why do you think Naruto is trying so hard to become a Chunnin?"

"So he could become better and be recognized by everyone," Alli said. Part of it was true.

"Yes and no. Naruto also wants to prove to your mom and dad that he can't be a better ninja, and make his name proud," Sasuke explained, "The same applies to me, and most ninja in this world. We all try to make our name proud, and also relationships between the clans, or even wealthy or famous names. Our name is a meaning of sign and popularity."

"So you're basically talking about politics here," Alli sighed. She didn't like politics.

"So does that thing with arrange marriages still happen here?" Alli asked. She already knew that her family name was important, and she wasn't going to agree to one.

"Yes, but it doesn't happen here in Konoha," Sasuke told her, "So if you were worried, it's not going to happen to you."

Alli sighed in relief. She then looked at Sasuke, he looked sad.

"So why are you sad?" Alli asked. That question caught Sasuke off guard.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"The look in your eye," Alli stated, "It was the same as mine when I lived back in my world, it happens a lot here still, but not as much."

"I have to surpass my brother somehow," Sasuke admitted, "He is the genius of the Uchiha clan. I'm just under a shadow."

"You're not under a shadow, you are Sasuke, you are your own person," Alli said. She didn't know how he felt, because she always loved being with her brother, and she had her own personality, she wasn't trying to beat her brother in any way. She wanted to be like him.

"Yeah, but to make my parents proud…" Sasuke started.

"I bet your parents are proud to have a son like you," Alli said with a smile. That shocked Sasuke Uchiha greatly. Most people would say, try harder and fight harder and go on harder missions. "You are the most independent person I ever met. You struggle with many things, but you always care for your friends even if you don't show it. You learn to defend yourself through the many fangirls, yet you've challenged yourself and made a friend out of me, who is a girl. The only one. I'm your best friend, and I think you have grown. You have grown to become a better person and I like that."

Sasuke was shocked, but happy at the same time. He then grabbed Alli and hugged her tight, and whispered in her ear a thank you. Alli hugged him back. She barely got any hugs, and Sasuke's was so warm and inviting. She felt safe for a moment, like no was going to hurt her and Sasuke was going to protect her. Alli admitted that she had gone soft, but hopefully she was going to regain back her tough side again once she starts training.

They finally released their grip on each other.

"Haha, it's funny. I never thought I get a hug from an Uchiha," Alli admitted.

"It's a rare occasion. This conversation is totally off topic from what I was going to explain to you today," Sasuke said to her. They decided it was time to start walking back to the village and get some dinner; he'll just tell the guy to put it on the Uchiha tab.

"Let's go and get some dinner," Sasuke suggested, "My treat."

"But I thought you didn't have any money," Alli told him.

"The place I'm going knows my family's name. So, I'll just tell them to put it on our name, and it will get paid," he told her.

"Nice."

Alli and Sasuke walked to a nice little restaurant that served all kinds of meals. Alli was being nice and didn't want to spend like all the money he had owned, so she just asked for rice, sushi, and some chicken along with soup. Sasuke asked for tomatoes, rice, sashimi, and soup. Their choice of drink was both Pepsi. They started eating and then Sasuke brought up a new topic.

"Alli do you even know the concepts of the Chunnin Exams?" Sasuke asked her.

"Well, all I know is that you go up in rank and that it is hard," Alli replied.

"It's sort of like that," Sasuke said, "Also, it's an exam that helps the villages try to make friends and maybe an alliance."

"and how?" Alli questioned.

"The Villages send their shinobi here, and they stay for a period of time, and get to know each other." Sasuke explained.

"I see now," Alli finally got it, "One day I'm going to take those exams and be awesome."

"I'd like to see you try," Sasuke said, "It only happens twice a year, and besides, you can't train til after the exams anyways. You're on medical leave."

"So?" Alli bugged.

"That means, you don't have that many skills," Sasuke said. They both finally ended up finishing their meal, and left.

"I guess Naruto should be done soon," Alli said and looked up at the night sky.

"Yeah, tomorrow he'll have to go through the Forest of Death," Sasuke said. Alli's eyes widened. Sasuke noticed them.

"It's not that bad. We have been through it before. Naruto knows what to do, and probably will finish it very quickly," Sasuke admitted. Alli's eyes soften a bit. She was glad that her brother wasn't going to die.

"Well, come on. I got to walk you home, and then in what five days I got to go with you to get your blood results," Sasuke told her.

"Oh yeah, I forgot all about that."

Not that they knew it, but Sasuke and Alli walked home, holding each others hands and walked silently into the night, except that a pair of eyes were silently watching, holding a silent anger inside them.

Im so sorry guys! I didn't forget I swear! I just been busy, and then I fractured my leg. It was so painful.

Anyways I came to tell you, I might not update as fast than I like to because well, School is almost over, and you know exams and stuff are going on. Also I can't get to everything as fast because of having a cast on. I know it sucks. So At least I updated as fast as I could.

REMEMBER Read and Review. Don't act I can't see you guys read my stories. xD

JA NE! -Shifuni