So, how's it goin' guys? Yeah, it's been a while. I'm having a little writer's block with these darn Chunin Exams. So I probably won't update regularly for a while. These things are really annoying, ya know? I'm pulling out my hair, like foreal.

RosieAngel16: Thanks! (:

MuffinMan9223: Lol, that's funny. And...no, not really. I can't draw, so I can't make my own pic. I couldn't find something online that was close enough to how I pictured her. So...yeah, there's that.

Ronin stood before his team, his arms crossed as usual. He wore a stoic expression as he studied them quietly. The three girls looked around nervously, anxiously waiting for their sensei to speak. Finally, he did. "You guys ready?" he asked. Kioko, Kaiya, and Usagi shared a look, turning back to their sensei with smiles.

"Hell yeah!" Kioko shouted, punching the air. A determined smile enveloped her face. "We've been ready since the day you named us Genin. We wear these headbands—" She pointed to the Leaf symbol on her forehead protector—"so that everyone will know what we came to do!" She placed her hands on her hips.

"And what is that?" Ronin wondered.

"We came to kick ass and become full-fledged shinobi of the Leaf!" Kioko declared. Her teammates nodded. The young man smiled, proud of how far they had made it in the short time they'd been a team. Over the past month, they had excelled in their training and completed fourteen missions, all successes. Their taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu were commendable, their strength was outstanding, and their teamwork was improving. Iruka had been impressed with the way all of the rookies handled his tests, and regrettably informed the Hokage and the sensei that they were ready for the next step. Whether they passed or failed was completely up to them now.

"Well, everything seems to be in order. When you walk through these doors, you'll be on your own," he instructed, gesturing to the double doors behind him. "I'll see you before the last exam…and you guys had better make it all the way to the end, or else." He chuckled at the girls' anxious expressions. "But if you don't…know that I'm very, very proud of you three. I am honored to have you as my team." He gave them a salute. "Good luck," he told them, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"That Ronin," Kioko said, smiling. "He didn't even tell us who else is taking the Exams." Their mouths hung open when they entered the room. They couldn't count how many people they saw, and they noticed at least five headbands other than the Leaf's: Grass, Sand, Waterfall, Rain, and one or two others they didn't recognize.

"Whoa," Usagi mumbled. "Now this is what I call a crowd." The three girls searched for any familiar faces, hoping at least one team from their graduating class had been nominated as well. Kaiya's eyes lit up when she saw a short blonde with whiskers in the middle of a bunch of guys, loudly declaring how bad he was going to beat everybody. Kaiya grinned. That was definitely a familiar face.

"Naruto!" she shouted, waving as she ran over to him. She dodged several people, receiving a few glances from the outsiders, but she didn't care. Naruto noticed her and beamed, meeting her halfway. They embraced briefly.

"Kaiya! I didn't know you were here too!" She nodded with a grin.

"Yep. So, anyone else here we know?" Naruto pointed to a small group of young shinobi close by.

"Lots of people!" he exclaimed. "Hinata's team, Shikamaru's team, us, you…" He counted them on his fingers.

"Wow, I didn't know all of the rookies were gonna be here," Kioko said, as she and Usagi walked up to join them, hearing Naruto name the others. "Sweet! Now we get to pummel our comrades into the dust and not get penalized for it! Sakura, you're goin' down!" Kaiya shook her head, thinking it was best just not to respond. Besides, she kind of agreed with her teammate on that one.

"Sup guys?" Kaiya watched Kioko turn red as Kiba and his teammates showed up. She nudged Naruto with a smug look on her face, pointing in the girl's direction. Naruto understood and snickered. They watched in amusement as Kioko ducked behind Usagi, who was much shorter than her.

"Hey, Kiba," Kaiya said, giving him a high-five. "Long time no see." Kiba nodded, his haughty smile making Kioko turn redder than his tattoos. His smile faded as he tilted his head towards Kioko, who was making a poor attempt to shield herself from his confused glare.

"Hey, Kioko, what are you doing?" Kioko squealed, sounding identical to Hinata when she came in contact with Naruto.

"What are you talking about?" she asked inconspicuously, coming from behind Usagi like nothing had happened. The latter raised an eyebrow at her teammate, turning to Kaiya for the answer. She shrugged and continued to watch in amusement. "I…thought I saw a bug on Usagi's shoulder. She's terribly afraid of them, so I was trying to find it fast." She pretended to swipe something off the young girl's shoulder swiftly. "Um, all gone. No need to worry, Usagi." A sweat drop formed on the back of Kiba's head as Kioko laughed nervously, and he looked at her in awkward silence.

"Uh, ok. Well what do you say we—"

"Hey, get away from my Sasuke, Forehead!"

"What? You're out of your mind, Ino-Pig! Sasuke's mine!" The Uchiha sighed irritably as Ino wrapped her arm around his shoulder. He figured out a long time ago it was useless to retaliate. Kaiya turned towards the others, watching in slight humor as Naruto's ears turned red.

"Grr…damn you, Sasuke!" he muttered, crossing his arms. Kaiya restrained from laughing at her best friend's jealousy. Sasuke caught sight of Kaiya, and a smirk suddenly emerged. She smiled back, eyeing Ino, who had let go of Sasuke's neck to reach for Sakura's. They were squabbling, drawing attention to themselves. Kaiya sighed and shook her head as Sasuke used this as a chance to get away.

"They are so embarrassing our village," Kaiya told him when he made his way to her. He agreed with a grunt.

"Hey, guys, if you don't mind…" A young man with long, silver hair in a ponytail approached them. He had large, round glasses that covered black eyes and a good portion of his face. "You're making a racket. People around here are edgy; you don't want to upset their nerves any further, do you? This is a big deal for some of us."

"Who the hell are you?" Kioko asked, coming to stand beside Kaiya. She crossed her arms.

"The name's Kabuto Yakushi," he answered. "I'm from the Leaf, like you guys." He pointed to Kioko's headband and then to his own.

"Begin." All the Genin in the room stared at their tests.

"…" Kioko's jaw dropped. Usagi bit her lip in frustration. Kaiya's forehead tensed and beads of sweat dripped down her brow. She couldn't believe the questions she was looking at were real. She turned to Sasuke, who was sitting beside her. Even he looked concerned.

I won't let my team down, Kaiya told herself, remembering the warning Ibiki had given them: "The people you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating. And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprit's score. Be warned—their eyes are extremely sharp, and if they catch you five times you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored. Anyone fool enough to be caught by the Chunin doesn't deserve to be here. If you want to be considered shinobi then show us…what exceptional shinobi you can be." She concentrated harder on the first question.

Thirty minutes went by, as the clock slowly mocked her with its excessive ticking. She had not answered one question. Sweat plunged onto the desk, running down to the floor. Her eyes slowly drifted to the person on the other side of her, a male from Taki. He looked a little older than her, with tangerine-colored hair and pupiless, grey eyes. His expression was stoic, and Kaiya noticed he was on the eighth question. She frowned.

"…and if they catch you five times you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored…"

Kaiya gripped her pencil tighter as she finally understood. He never said we couldn't cheat. He's encouraging us to do so…I'm sure of that now. Her eyes averted to Sasuke, who had his Sharingan activated and was copying the movements of the guy in front of him. So, he'd already figured it out. She frowned slightly. Wait…when the hell did he learn to use his Sharingan? He didn't even tell me. Kaiya scoffed. It wasn't like he had to tell her everything, especially when they were competitors here. Still, that was a big deal.

She put her focus back on her blank test. She turned her eyes to the boy on her right, then to his paper. No, it was too easy. Instead of copying from him, which would be too obvious, she followed his gaze. He was fixated on a girl from Ame two rows in front of him. She noticed the Taki ninja was in some sort of trance, though he kept his hand moving in rhythm. How is he…? Then she saw it—some kind of dojutsu. His eyes were pupiless for a reason. She wondered if she could use her own powers without getting caught.

It's worth a shot, she decided, closing her eyes. She had known how to do this technique since she was five—taught to her by her father, as it is unique to the Umachi clan—but up until now, she's never had a reason or chance to use it. She hoped it worked. Her pupils dilated, and golden streaks appeared around her irises, like sunrays. Eyes of the Sun. Her vision became clearer, and she was now able to see all that the sun saw, and just her luck—it was shining through the window of the classroom, perfectly positioned on one Genin from Kusa. Perfect. Even better for her, he had all of the questions already written down. She quickly jotted them onto her paper before the instructor called the end of the first portion of the exam.

In the middle of Ibiki congratulating them for passing the First Exam, Anko Mitarashi burst through the window, making a dramatic entrance as the glass shattered and spread all over the floor; a few people had to shield their faces in order not to get cut. One of those people was Kioko. A sweat drop slid down the back of Kioko's head when she saw Anko's banner. What the hell? She's always doing crazy things like this…how embarrassing. She sighed.

When Anko was finished scaring the rest of the participants about what to expect for the next exam, she walked over to where Kioko was seated, propping her leg up onto the chair. Giving her a wry grin, she grabbed the preteen's head and ruffled her hair roughly, messing up her ponytail. Kaiya could tell she was not amused.

"Glad you made it through, Kioko," Anko told her. "I'd have to kick your ass into next week if you hadn't."

"Oh good grief," Kioko muttered as she frowned. If people had ever wondered where Kioko received her fiery personality, it was from her purple-headed guardian.

As Kaiya and her teammates walked out of the room, she let out a breath of relief, hunching over as she dragged her arms along. She knew becoming Chunin was going to be difficult, but she didn't expect all of this, and just from a written exam!

She could tell just by the crooked smile on Anko's face that the Second Exam was going to be hell. She was mentally preparing herself when Team 11 was approached by the others.

"Glad to see all the rookies made it," Kaiya said, letting out a relieved breath. Kioko frowned, placing her hands on her hips in irritation.

"Are you kidding me?" she sighed. "That just means there's more competition for us! I'd have loved to be the only rookie team going to the next round." Shikamaru, who was standing on Kaiya's right side, crossed his arms and scoffed.

"Well, it's not like we wanted to be around your big mouth anyway, Kioko," he muttered. She glared, pointing her index finger to his chest.

"Shut the hell up, Nara! As if your lazy ass could do much anyway. And who are you calling big mouth?!" Her voice rose with her question. "You have the queen of big mouths on your team, so I'd think twice before I made that statement again!" Ino grabbed Kioko's shirt collar and pulled her close.

"What was that, you bug-eyed freak?!" she shouted. Kaiya, who was standing amongst them, slowly inched away, hiding behind Naruto as she watched her comrades bicker. The rest of the participants, who were trickling out of the room, were staring at all of them frustratingly. She couldn't blame them, since they had just all gone through the worst torture of their lives and just wanted some peace. She tried to calm them down.

"Guys, can you stop arguing?" she asked, smiling nervously as sweat dripped down her brow. When they ignored her plea, she backed away again. "Ok, carry on then."

"I say we just leave 'em," Kiba decided, shaking his head. "They're really embarrassing." Kaiya and the others agreed, walking away to leave Kioko and Ino quarreling, with Shikamaru in the middle of them. He saw the rest leave and went after them.

"Hey, wait up! Are you guys crazy? You can't leave me with them. They'll kill me!"

"Jeez, you'd think Kioko would behave better in a place like this," Usagi mentioned, shaking her head. She sighed. Kaiya nodded as the rookies walked in a group outside, ready to get their mind off of the test they just took. Sasuke drifted beside her, his hands in his pockets as usual.

"Hey." He smirked, and Kaiya returned it.

"How's it going?" she wondered. "So, how was it back there?" Sasuke closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment. They were sitting next to each other, so he knew he couldn't pretend that he wasn't nervous. He chuckled lightly.

"I thought we were goners for a minute," he admitted. "Especially when I figured Naruto would get us thrown out." The blonde, who was on the other side of Kaiya, tilted his head as he heard his name come out of Sasuke's mouth. He glowered, waving around his fist.

"Hey! Keep me out of your conversation, you bastard!" he bellowed angrily.

"Hn." Sasuke turned away from him, and Naruto looked the opposite way. Kaiya sighed, rubbing her neck.

"It's clear we're all under a lot of pressure here. Let's just all try to relax."

When most of the rookies dispersed and went home, Kaiya, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were left. Ino and Kioko were probably still back in the building fighting. Sasuke was about to say something to Kaiya when Naruto beat him to it.

"Hey, Kaiya, we should get some ramen!" Kaiya smiled, but remembered how exhausted and stressed out she was. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I really wish I could, Naruto," she replied, scratching the back of her neck. "It would be nice, but I told myself I wouldn't have any ramen until after the Exams. There's that, and the fact that I don't want to stay out late tonight. We've got a big day tomorrow, and Kakashi wants me to get as much rest as I can." Naruto pouted, but nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. Who knows what that crazy lady'll have us doing tomorrow?" He shuddered just thinking about it. He turned to go home, running off as he waved. "Bye, Kaiya, Sakura! See you guys tomorrow." Kaiya waved back, turning to Sasuke to see if he was bothered by the fact Naruto said nothing to him. He didn't look bothered by it; in fact, he almost looked relieved. Sakura had been surprisingly quiet since coming out of the First Exam. Kaiya wouldn't have minded if she was stuck back there with Kioko and Ino, but she wasn't about to say that out loud.

"It's getting late. I'd better go," Kaiya told Sasuke, giving him a warm smile. "You should probably get your rest too, Sasuke. You're going to have work pretty hard tomorrow to keep up with my team." The raven-haired Uchiha scoffed.

"Well, I guess you're right—we should get our rest. Because tomorrow, whatever our test is, I want to make sure that you and I get a chance to fight." Kaiya grinned cheekily.

"Be careful what you wish for," she warned in a smug tone. Sasuke smirked.

While the two were conversing, Sakura was behind them, quietly observing the two's interaction. They didn't even seem to know she was there. Her eyes lowered dangerously. You think you can steal Sasuke away from me, you Naruto-loving freak? I'll show you. Cha!

"Hey, Sasuke…why don't we walk home together?" Sakura suggested as she ran to catch up to them. Sasuke turned, almost surprised to see her still hanging around. They had been absentmindedly walking toward the fork in the road that Kaiya took to get home. Kaiya thought about letting Sakura follow her so she could meet the ANBU face-to-face…err, mask. But she decided against it, seeing as Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't be able to finish the exams without her. Still, she couldn't help but entertain the thought.

"Oh, Sakura, it's you. I didn't notice you were here." She pouted for a moment before perking up again. Kaiya could see how tense she was, probably writhing with anger and jealousy from seeing her talk merrily with her "beloved Sasuke". Kaiya could care less what Sakura thought of her, and she'd made that crystal clear since entering the Academy. Sakura had hated her from the beginning, most likely because of her friendship with Naruto. As if that had been any of Sakura's business, she, along with Kioko and Ino, harassed her every chance they got, even though Sakura wasn't friends with either girl. Kaiya could handle all three of them at once if she wanted to, but Sakura was never much of a threat to anyone (other than Naruto) so she just ignored her. It was also entertaining for Kaiya to make fun of the fact that Sasuke saw right through the pink-haired kunoichi, no matter how hard she tried to get his attention. That's probably another reason she hated her guts.

"Since we have a big day tomorrow, I was thinking—"

"Sakura."

Kaiya knew why she was hanging around them now. She was jealous and wanted to see if there was anything going on between her and Sasuke. Even if there was, they wouldn't let Sakura have any part in it. Kaiya turned to her. The sun shone down on her long, brown hair that she always had loose around her shoulders. Her headband, which was tied in its designated place around her forehead, gleamed as she showed the Leaf's symbol off proudly. She was one of the few girls that actually wore her forehead protector the way it was supposed to be worn, but Sakura didn't know if this held any significance or if she just preferred it that way. She'd been different than the others from day one, so it didn't surprise her any. She always wore black: A black razorback blouse that reached her hips, and the same colored shorts that ended mid-thigh. Her eyes were the color of spring grass, like the leaves that were constantly flying around the village. Sakura hated the sight of her; every part of her made her blood boil and her stomach clench.

"What?" she snapped, giving her a hateful glare. Kaiya was taken aback by her forceful tone, but it did little to change her stern expression.

"I know you were listening to our conversation the whole time," she said, crossing her arms.

"What of it?" Oh, how Kaiya wanted to throw a few kunai at her right now!

"Didn't you just hear us say we needed rest? I know you're not that strong, but you're not that stupid either. You know that we have no clue what the Second Exam will be like and that we should all be prepared. By what that Jonin said in there, the First Exam was a breeze compared to what we're about to face; they were gracious enough to give us the rest of the day off, and I think we should take advantage of that. Don't get caught up in such childish things as a crush…if you want to truly become a full-fledged ninja, no such thing should matter to you."

Sakura's eyes widened, and even Sasuke was a little surprised. He turned to her only to be met with an unreadable expression. The wind shifted and blew the Uchiha's dark bangs across his face. He watched Kaiya intently, to see what she would do next.

"…" Sakura was clearly embarrassed by what Kaiya had told her. It's not like it should, she thought. After all, she's so open with her infatuation for Sasuke that it's disgusting. He's turned her down so many times I can't even count. So this should be nothing for her.

"I'm going home," she said at last, giving Kaiya an icy glare that would probably have pierced her soul if she had cared even a little. She gave Sasuke one more hopeful glance, probably wishing he would tell her to stay, and then she walked away. When she was out of earshot, Sasuke turned to her.

"That was harsh," he pointed out. But he was smiling. Kaiya, however, still had the same countenance on her face. Sasuke's grin faded as he lowered his eyes. What's the matter with her? All of a sudden she seems down. Did Sakura hit a nerve, or is the reality of the Exams finally getting to her? Or could it be something else? "Kaiya, I—"

"Sasuke…" Kaiya said, cutting him off. He continued to look at her.

"What is it?" he questioned. "Is something wrong?" Kaiya looked down.

"I'm not sure," she answered. "It's just that…" When I said that to Sakura just now, it was like an anchor just dropped in my stomach. It was almost as if I didn't believe myself. But that can't be, because I don't like— Kaiya's eyes lifted back to the young Uchiha. His face showed concern as he stood, waiting for her to speak. Then she remembered that she had been in the middle of a sentence. "Oh, uh…" Her cheeks flushed as she cleared her throat. That feeling hadn't disappeared. "Never mind. It's not important." She didn't even know what she was going to say. Right now, she was just as confused as Sasuke, whose eyebrows were furrowed.

"Are you sure?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I think I was just overthinking what's going to happen tomorrow. No big deal." Though he wasn't completely convinced, he wouldn't know what to say to her even if she told him the problem. He figured Kaiya knew that too, which is why she didn't elaborate. Either that, or she didn't want him to know. Although, he wasn't sure what would be that secretive that she would be embarrassed or ashamed to mention.

"Let's go," he decided, after seconds of awkward silence. "I'll walk you to the forest path." She nodded with a small smile. They were silent the whole time there, each in their own minds, imagining what kind of torture they would be put through for the next test. She would try to get some answers out of Kakashi tonight, but she doubted that would work. Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets, nodding to Kaiya as she faced her way home. She nodded back.

"Thanks, Sasuke," she replied. "You didn't have to—" Kaiya stopped when Sasuke reached out and took hold of her arm. He held it firmly, though he was sure not to squeeze it too tight. He could tell how hard she worked by the solidity of her muscles. She trained almost as much as him.

"Good luck tomorrow," he told her quietly. Kaiya blinked. "And even if for some reason we're pitted against each other, just know that I've always got your back. I know Naruto would say the same." Kaiya's stunned look curved into a smile.

"The same goes for me. I'll always have your back, Sasuke. Even after these exams, and then until the day I die." He closed his eyes for a moment, releasing his grip and turning around.

"Later, Kaiya." Before his back was completely to her, he looked back. "And I made sure this time—no one's waiting in there to kidnap you." Kaiya chuckled.

"Thanks, Sasuke. Bye."

When Kaiya reached the Nohara property, she could see Kakashi standing on the porch. He was looking off in the distance with his arms crossed, like his mind was elsewhere. She landed beside him, turning her head in curiosity to follow his gaze.

"What are we staring at?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Kakashi's visible eye drifted to her, but other than that he didn't move a muscle.

"I'm still wondering how that guy was able to get past the barrier and set those traps," he answered. "And without the ANBU even detecting it." Kaiya frowned, scratching her head.

"You're still thinking about that? He's dead, ya know." Kakashi shifted. His body turned to an angle and his head lowered, so that he could see Kaiya in full view. It was late afternoon now. Kaiya wanted to just lie on her bed and stare at the ceiling until she fell asleep. She was that exhausted, and she hadn't even used up any chakra.

"How'd the Exam go today?" Kakashi asked, ignoring her question. She hated when he did that. She turned away from the woods and towards the large wooden door.

"That Ibiki guy…he's pretty badass," she mentioned. Kakashi lowered his head with a grin. Kaiya could detect the outlining of it through his mask.

"So you were pretty freaked out, huh," he concluded. Kaiya scoffed.

"'Freaked out' doesn't even begin to describe it. I was sweating bullets the whole time. I put everything on the line for that tenth question…I was just relieved when my decision turned out to be the right one. I almost gave up, but Naruto inspired the remaining applicants to hang in there." Kakashi nodded. So, Naruto was doing alright, then. So far, at least.

"Hmm." Kaiya tilted her head in question. Kakashi glanced at her. "What?"

"He's a pretty gutsy kid, don't you think?" Kaiya asked her guardian. Kakashi's eye lowered. "He's always having random outbursts, and he's a complete knucklehead…but his determination is admirable. Don't you think so, Kakashi?" The latter raised his head to look at the fading sun. He removed his back from the doorpost and grabbed Kaiya's hand, jumping to the roof. He sat down, patting the spot next to him for Kaiya to sit. She did so, confused. "What…?" Kakashi pointed up, to see that the sun was lowering itself in the sky. It would be about an hour before sunset. The clouds were shifting around it.

"You like this kind of thing, right?" he questioned. Kaiya grinned.

"Of course. But why…?" Kakashi closed his eye.

"You need to rest before tomorrow. You're going to need every last bit of strength you can muster. I figure you'd want to relax a little, so I waited for you. I'm a little tense about how Team 7's going to do tomorrow, so we're both in the same boat." Kaiya lay back against the flat of the wooden roof, her hands supporting her head. Kakashi leaned back in the same position. Together, they watched the clouds and the skyline change color, until the sun had completely disappeared below the horizon. From the Nohara estate, they had the perfect view overlooking a gap in the trees that made the forest path from the village.

Kaiya fell asleep shortly thereafter, leaning against Kakashi's side. She's warm, Kakashi noted, closing his eye. She's finally relaxed, after being tensed up all day. Slowly, he removed one arm from under his neck and draped it over Kaiya's shoulders. Her peaceful breathing put him at ease, and soon he was asleep as well.

Oh, and I know there wasn't a day's gap in-between the first and second exams, but I made one anyway.