New Chapter update! Continued working on chapter 11 to 12 after the exams. (Which was easy). So excited to work on many chapters. :D

Chunin Exams is going to be interesting, I agree to what Sasuke said in the anime/manga.

Read & Review!

CHAPTER 10: FIRST ENCOUNTER: THEY MEET AGAIN

"Ga... Gaara," Kankuro stuttered nervously by his presence.

"Him... when did he? That's Kakashi level sneakiness... only a jounin are capable of doing it," Sasuke thought.

"Losing yourself in a fight, how pathetic... Why do you think we came to the leaf village?" Gaara questioned.

"Listen Gaara, they started it and-" Kankuro was interrupted.

"Shut up... or I'll kill you," he said coldly, which frightened Kankuro a little by his evil look.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"I'm also sorry... really sorry," Temari said nervously and Gaara doesn't know why she apologized to him.

"So this one's the leader... he has strange eyes," Sasuke thought.

"Sorry if my brother has caused you trouble," Gaara said to him and thought with curiousity. "To be able to hit Kankuro with a stone... he's good... this guy needs to get keep an eye on." Then Gaara transported down in a swirl of sand. "It looks like we got here too early but... we didn't come here to play games with them," he said reluctantly about the others, who were still staring at him blankly.

"I know that," Kankuro said dumbly.

"Let's go," Gaara said as he and his siblings were about to head off.

"Hey, wait!" Sakura stopped them as they turn around to look at her, asking. "Do you... guys remember me? I believe we had met... back when we were kids and-"

"No... we don't remember," Gaara answered, not caring about her at all, which made her shocked and hurt a little bit on the inside. Kankuro and Temari shared a worried look then back to Gaara and Sakura's encounter, much to everyone's surprise. It was very odd to hear that Gaara didn't remember her, but only his siblings. Naruto and the others were pretty much curious and have some things in mind.

"Sakura knows that creep and that make-up dude and fan lady?! I never knew that. I'll ask her later then," Naruto thought.

"Oh... Umm... I see. I-it was 6 years ago, right? He... he," Sakura laughed nervously and forced a smile. "So... What are you guys doing here? You may be allies with the leaf village but... it is forbidden to enter each other's villages without permission," she said concernedly.

"Don't you guys know anything?" Temari raised an eyebrow and continued. "We have come to your village to take the Chunin selection exam."

"Chunin selection exam?" Naruto was clueless.

"Geez... you really don't know anything... The Chunin exam is where outstanding genins from sand, leaf and other neighbouring villages assemble to take an exam to become a Chunin. The main purpose is said to be improve relationship between the allies and to raise the shinobi level but also each country likes to maintain a power balance and-"

"Why can't we take it together? Hey Konohamaru! Think I should enter this Chunin exam thing?!" Naruto asked excitedly.

"You idiot! You asked the question, so listen till the end!" Temari yelled.

Sasuke stepped down on the ground and said. "Hey, you identify yourself."

"Huh? Oh, you mean me?" Temari blushed, pointing at herself in surprised.

"No. You with the gourd on your back," he said, pointing at the red haired boy.

"My name is Gaara of the Desert. I'm curious about you. What's your name?"

"Sasuke Uchiha," he said smirking. They stared at each other for a moment as if they were reading each other's minds.

"Hey! What about me?! Huh!? Do you want to know my name?" Naruto asked in outburst.

"I could careless. Let's go," Gaara said just when he and his siblings were heading off to some place to stay, Sakura immediately stopped them again.

"Wait! Before you guys go, I have a question to ask," she said and looked at Gaara nervously. "How could you forget when we made a promise back then?"

"That was 6 years ago. Do you honestly think that I care about that?... Whatever promise we made... that is all meant to be broken," he said coldly, not turning around to face her or see the expression on her face as he doesn't feel anything for her.

Sakura was utterly hurt by his words, she forced herself not to cry in front of him and the others. Instead, she just stood her ground confidently and watch him head off to a place to stay while his siblings feel pity and regret-full as soon as they followed him, much to everyone's dismay. Sakura wondered herself what happened to Gaara after she left the sand village and made him become a total different person. She was starting to think there was something strange about Shukaku too and she has to find out from his two siblings. She also noticed that he hasn't worn the friendship bracelet she made for him, which can only hurt her more. At least, she kept his...

Naruto and Sasuke looked at Sakura, who was in deep thought. They were obviously curious about Sakura and Gaara's unknown relationship.

"I wonder what could've happened between them...?" Naruto wondered, feeling worried.

"I never since her like this...," Sasuke thought frowning. He was also worried about her, but didn't want to show it.

Later that day, Sakura was still depressed. She feels emotionally hurt than what the other kids bully her. It broken her heart a little. She doesn't know if Gaara was still friends with her.

"Hey, Sakura... I was just wondering... Well... I know this is a personal question-"

"Sure, ask away," she said quietly as they were standing against the red bridge railing.

"When did you and Gaara met each other?" Naruto stared at her for a moment as well as Sasuke while they waited for her to tell them her childhood past.

She sighed and watched the water streaming peacefully. "It happened 6 years ago in the beginning of September when my family and I moved to the sand village. It was when my parents went on a mission before I met him... We became best friends... And we've spent a lot of time together and grew closer everyday. As much as I often hang out with him... He was my only friend I have and I was very thankful for having a friend in my life," She smiled at the memories of him, then frowned at the time where she got kidnapped. "Then two weeks later, I was kidnapped by sand ninjas, who were ordered to take me as a hostage, and try to assassinate him. Later on, I was saved by his two older siblings from all the trouble that I've been having... but mostly, Gaara
was the one who's always in trouble... No... More like he's always in danger than I am. It was the worst nightmare for him... and for me."

"Why would the sand ninjas try to kill him if he's part of his village?" Naruto questioned as he furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought.

"Well... I don't know about him that much," she lied and tries to change the subject, since she's not ready to tell them the "truth" about Gaara. And the truth about him is that he is the same as Naruto. Both of them are jinchuriki.

"I don't want the people around the village know that he has a tailed-beast inside of Gaara, otherwise the 3rd Hokage might send the ANBU ninjas to eliminate him. If I tell them about him, the situation can get worse," she thought.

"Anyway, isn't Kakashi suppose to be here ten minutes early? Why does that person ask us to meet and then make us wait?"

"I know right," Naruto agreed, just when Kakashi arrived on the top bridge.

"Morning, guys. Today, I got lost on the path of life," he said calmly and waved at them.

"Yeah, right!" Naruto and Sakura said in unison as they rolled their eyes at him.

"Well, this is sudden but I've nominated you guys for the Chunin selection exam," he said, putting his finger above his chin.

"Huh?" The three of them were puzzled for a moment.

"What did you say!?" Sakura asked dumbly.

"You think that makes up for-!" Naruto didn't finished his sentence when Kakashi handed them forms.

"Here are your applications," he gave them their Chunin permission forms just when Naruto embraced him.

"Kakashi-sensei! I love you!" He said happily while Sasuke and Sakura sweat dropped at his sudden action.

"Hey stop, let go of me," Kakashi try to scoot away from him until Naruto obeyed what he said.

From that moment on, Kakashi began explaining. "Though, this is just a nomination. Whether to take the exam is up to each of you. Those who wish to take it should sign those papers and turn them in at room 301 by 4 pm tomorrow. That is all." He disappeared
in puff of smoke, leading them into making their decision sooner or later.

"Hehehehe! Chunin exam! There's going to be a lot of strong guys in this thing," Naruto said smirking while he was walking with Sasuke and Sakura.

He thought to himself, "Like him!" Thinking about the purple-makeup guy with a puppet. "And him!" He looked over Sasuke, who looked back at him, annoyed. "Okay, I won't lose to him!" He said to himself as he dreamed about himself winning in victory, making Sasuke a sore loser.

Giggling at his thought, Sasuke was thinking about his chance of fighting against Gaara.

"I might be able to fight him," he smirked to himself hopefully as he continued walking along with Naruto.

Sakura, on the other hand, just stood behind looking depressed and thought."I... don't want to... I can't even keep up with Sasuke and Naruto and now the Chunin exam... *sigh* then, there's Gaara and his siblings... I don't understand why he won't remember me... and we made a promise. It's impossible for him to just forget about me. Kankuro and Temari remembered..."

QUICK FLASHBACK:

"How could you forget when we made a promise back then?"

"That was 6 years ago. Do you honestly think that I care about that...? Whatever promise we made... That is all meant to be broken," he said coldly, not turning around to face her or see the expression on her face.

END OF FLASHBACK

She closed her eyes for a moment until Naruto called her. "Sakura! What are you waiting for? Let's go," he waved at her, as she smiled at him and continued walking with them and hanging out the rest of the day.