A/N: double digits, woo hoo! Remember to R&R. In case you didn't know, I don't own Naruto. WARNING: spoilers ahead. Sorry for the delay, it's getting a lot harder to think of how to continue. I may slow down to once every other day.

"Talking" "thinking" "bijuu talking" "bijuu thinking" "Justus"

…..

So, it turns out that Gaara isn't really that bad when Shukaku isn't screaming at him in his head nonstop. In fact, Gaara an I had a pretty good afternoon at Ichiraku's Ramen. I even got him to talk about women, it was fun.

I also got to talk to Shukaku later that night, back at the sand teams hotel room. It was interesting, Shukaku thought I was old man six paths, just like Kurama. Sadly I told him the truth, but him and Kurama got together and agreed that it would be best for the world to know me as the next sage. Not that I wasn't already, I am Asura's second reincarnation, and I have Indara's blood as well. So, I was already pretty much that.

Kurama also renamed me to 'Naruto Otsutsuki'. So, that's that then. I'm of course not going to tell anyone that unless necessary, but I did have to tell Gaara.

…..

Team seven is at training ground seven now, I'm meditating on the center pillar, like always. Though today I'm just sitting there, looking at Sensei. Kakashi starts off, "okay team, after that last mission, I have decided to nominate you for the chunin exam. You well need to sign these forms, and I expect you to all get promoted. I will expect nothing less." He handed us the forms, and shunshin'd away, knowing that we could find it on our own.

…..

Just as we walk into the building, Sakura is approached by a kid Shinobi in a green jump suit. Lee. He starts pleading for her hand as a girl friend, she answers "Sorry, Ninsan, but I'm already in a relationship at the moment. I suggest you court someone els." Sasuke smirks, yea, I'm good at helping people live good lives, your welcome.

Lee continues to try and change her mind for a few minutes, until he shifts his view to Sasuke. He says, "Uchiha-san, I wish to test my youth in a friendly spar! Would you be youthful enough to assist me?" Sasuke nods and they prepare for combat.

Lee fires forward, attempting an assault of punches and kicks. Sasuke blocks, and pulls himself to the left, bringing his right leg up to strike. Lee counters with his left arm, pushing outward and propelling himself into the air. He pulls into a backflip, but is already overrun by Sasuke. Sasuke jumps forward to Match him, they trade blows until Sasuke strikes lee in the gut. He generates two shadow clones, and jumps off them, releasing them instantly, and gets above lee. He strikes lee again, and pulls into the start of his barrage.

But just as his foot is coming down, lee counters. Grabbing Sasuke by the upper thigh of his quickly descending right leg, lee spins over it. Taking advantage of the momentum created, lee pull down, and drops into the final step of the dancing leaf. Locking his left elbow under Sasuke's jaw, he aims Sasuke's head at the ground, as they descend at an amazing speed.

Mere inches from the ground, Sasuke flares his sharingan, kicking free of lee with his lower body, he twists sideways. Using his left arm as a lever, he slams it into the ground, while using him right to leverage lee's weight. Canceling and counteracting the dive, he pushes off. Lee is forced to follow, and they are propelled away from each other at the rate of their earlier dive. Sending them sailing to opposing ends of the room, dust thrown up.

I smirk, just as Sasuke does. "No one caught it." I could see and feel the whole spar with crisp clarity. Sasuke and lee could at least track it for combat means. But I saw it in slow motion, every move and counter move. Nothing got past me. I even saw the streak of white that flashed across from Sasuke to lee. A vary not poisoned senbon, nice aim.

Sasuke and lee looked fine, besides a few scrapes and bruises that had already mostly healed. Only one thing stood out, lee had a cut, one he didn't remember getting, passing straight from the front to the bad of his right cheek. It was atleast a half inch deep, and it was bleeding profusely. But it wasn't lethal, it would heal by the end of the day, with internal chakras help.

Lee can't use outward chakra, but he can enhance and repair from the inside. Sasuke starts, with a smile, "You know, I could have poisoned that. But this was just a spar." And then understanding dawns on everyone else in the room. Sasuke won, that was clear. But the spar was over now.

Lee smiled, "It was wonderful to spar with your youthfulness, Uchiha-San." He bowed and Sasuke followed, and they parted ways.

…..

As we walk into the examination room, we get hit with impressive Killer Intent. You know, for supposed soon-to-be-chunin. It was impressive, impressively pathetic…

…..

A/N: chunin exam, here I come. R&R. Enjoy the story.