Without Uchiha Sasuke

Chapter 11 : Day before the Chuunin Exams

The days since the date turned out to be hectic for both the genin. Kakashi spending every moment of daylight teaching them, training them and trying to work out the flaws and weaknesses the genin had shown during the two missions. Needless to say Kakashi drilled them harder than they had ever been drilled previously in their short careers as ninja. He drilled them so hard that the both of them had to drag themselves to their houses, most of the time falling asleep without even having their dinners.

It was to the genins' relief that Kakashi announced that this last day before the Chuunin exams would be given to the two as a day for rest and recuperation as Kakashi had to attend to a few things regarding their entrance to the exam.

Having trained every day, non-stop for almost a few months, both Sakura and Naruto were up and about early in the morning. The two met at their usual time and decided to head out for a little warm up, during which Kakashi showed up at their meeting spot.

"Good, the both of you are here. That saves me a lot of trouble than having to hunt the both of you down." Said the man as he fumbled in his pouch.

Naruto was about to make a comment on Kakashi and his beloved porn when the Jounin pulled out two forms from it, handing one to each genin.

"Those are your entrance forms. You are to fill them both and meet in front of the exam hall before 9 in the morning. Remember, neither of you showing up on time means that the entire team is disqualified."

Kakashi jumped off the pole and landed in front of the two genin before he continued. "Know that I would have nominated you both for this exam had the Hokage not asked this favor of you. I have seen your performance over a matter of weeks, on two separate dangerous missions and I have seen your capabilities. I am confident that you will both breeze through these exams."

The Jounin smiled at the genin as he looked down upon them. He had meant every word he had said.

"But I will still warn you. There are many shinobi coming from many villages, some you have heard of, some you haven't. Do not underestimate them because they have the title of genin. The title of Chuunin is only given to those who show leadership qualities in battle and to those who show that they can fight as well. Without either of these qualities, you will not get that vest. And as such, there may be much stronger and faster genin out there than yourselves. Be aware of that at all times."

There was a slight pause as the Jounin paused for breath.

"The Chuunin exam is composed of three tests. Now, even though the exam is being conducted by Konoha-nin, I do not know the exam set-ups. All I know is that there will definitely be a tournament as the final exam. Expect anything for the first two tests. The good news is that you will get most likely about a month of training before the grand tournament. This allows the daimyos and other big heads of countries to come down and to see the fights taking place. It is here that you two need to shine as it is based on this that our clients will hire us. However, first you need to pass the first two tests."

"The council has managed to lower Sasuke's punishment to a mere probation." Said Kakashi after a deep breath. "Which will only take effect after the end of the Chuunin Exams. The Hokage thinks this is a ploy. If Sasuke shows that he is worthy of the Chuunin title then the Hokage believes the council will forgive his punishment as congratulations for the promotion. The Sandaime would like you, as a favor and not an official mission, to keep track of Uchiha Sasuke during all three tests and nothing more."

"Nothing more?" asked Naruto, a bit confused.

"Yes. The Chuunin exams are exams where you have to show your ninja abilities and your skills, be it by hook or crook, to finish the exam. There are almost no rules except the ones the proctors tell you at the beginning. What Sasuke does is his own business. We do not want you to interfere in anything he does, but rather, to let him do it and inform us. Then the Hokage can decide on what the best way is to deal with him. Understood?"

The two genin nodded slightly. Their objective had been laid out to them clearly. They were to be the eyes and the ears of the Hokage during the exams and that was something both of the genin would have fun doing.

"Alright then." Said Kakashi, is visible eye curved upward in a smile. "I wish the both of you the best of luck with the exams."

The Jounin poofed away leaving the two genin to stare at the spot he had been at previously. It took a while before either of the two moved from their spots.

"Ano, Sakura-chan?" said Naruto a bit nervously. "Do you want to go for lunch with me? I mean we haven't really had time with each other since our first date."

Though Naruto was trembling all the while he said it, the boy was rather happy about the way he had managed to put the proposal forward.

Sakura looked around with a faked panic. "Now, Naruto-kun, if somebody had heard you, they might think you are my boyfriend."

The boy smiled. "Now what makes you think I have a problem with that?" he asked as he gave her one of his foxy grins.

Sakura laughed at his response. The boy had lightened up a lot within the week, constantly coming up with jokes and statements that had brightened some of their hardest times. She had no idea what had caused him to change from a seemingly loud and obnoxious but hurt boy to this mature and sensible one in such a short time but she found herself thanking whichever power had made this come true. Not only had it been a great aid in developing their skills as a ninja and their teamwork but it also had allowed them to break the barriers between each other as well.

Now, she could clearly see the love he had for her and that he was trying his hardest to express it as well as he could. Most of all, the one that she found herself most thankful for was that this change had allowed her to see who he was in reality and had also allowed her to start falling in love with him.

In a classic girly move, the pink haired genin slipped her hand under the boys arm.

"Well." She began. "Since you have no problems being my boyfriend, be a proper one and take me somewhere for lunch."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head as the couple walked off together in arms and with no immediate destination in mind.

X—X—X—X—X

It took both Naruto and Sakura one whole hour to decide on a place to eat, in the end choosing to go Naruto's favorite Ichiraku for their meal, Sakura saying that it wouldn't be nice if they always had her favorite food and not his at all. Of course this brought up the argument that he didn't mind if they never had ramen but even Naruto knew that when Sakura had her mind set on something, there would be no one that would be able to change it.

It was during this very meal that they heard a familiar voice yell out. "Hey! What's with the smoke bombs?"

Curious as to what the commotion was about, Naruto leaned backwards as he looked through the blinds. Sakura, being the smarter one simply turned around and bent over a little.

On a corner of a street not too far away were Hisemi and Heni staggering out of a cloud of smoke, their hands on their mouths and coughing. The two boys turned about with playful angry faces, Heni yelling out a name which was very similar to Konohamaru as the boys ran off down the street and out of Naruto's view.

"You think we should go check things out?" asked Naruto, eyeing his third and unfinished bowl.

Sakura looked at the boy and at how he was eyeing his bowl of miso ramen with hunger. "I think we can finish our bowls first."

The boy nodded, proceeding to eat his ramen at a slow and decent pace. Sakura smiled as she thought of how much he had changed. Not just his personality, but his manners as well.

The messy and untidy boy that kept constantly shoveling ramen into that bottomless pit of his that he called a stomach was now clean and neat, taking his time in doing things well and organized.

Sakura chuckled at herself. There was only one thing she currently knew of that would never ever change and that was his appetite. It was one of the things that made him Naruto and she would never ever change that for anything.

It took the both of them exactly five minutes to empty their bowls, pay the man for the total of six bowls and leave the shop heading towards the direction the boys had run off into. The turned the corner only to see a black garbed man lifting a small scarfed boy by the collar of his jacket.

Naruto studied the black garbed man as he and Sakura walked towards them nonchalantly, the blond boys gaze finally coming to rest upon the forehead of the man and the hitai-ate he wore.

"Sand-nin." Whispered Sakura. "Must be here for the Chuunin exams."

"Oy! Let go off me!" yelled the smaller boy as he struggled to free himself from the tight grip the Suna-nin had on him.

The Suna-nin laughed as the boy swung his fists at him. "Now why should I let you go? You were the one that ran into me." Said the face painted man.

"Kankuro!" Came a feminine voice as footsteps came closer to the group. "Leave the boy and let's get to the meeting. Baki will be waiting for us now."

The Suna boy turned slightly, allowing the Konoha group a good look at the new comer. The girl was tall for her age, with piercing blue eyes and blond hair that was tied up. It seemed weird to Naruto that the girl would tie her hair like how farmers would tie bundles of straw as he had done many an occasion during D ranked missions but let it be as it was her choice how she wanted to wear her hair.

The boy in the black garb snorted. "I'm sure Baki would not mind us being a bit late Temari. Besides this boy hasn't even apologized yet." He said with a mischievous smirk.

Apologize, thought Sakura mentally as she watched the events unfold. Apologize and this whole thing is over without a big fuss.

However Heni intervened before the boy could say anything. "Konohamaru is the Hokage's grandson! He does not need to apologize to you nor to anybody! Now, you put him down before the ANBU come for you!"

Sakura mentally slapped her forehead. Heni had just made this very simple situation worse. Now, the Suna-nin would not back down for the simple fact that Konoha-nin could then claimed he backed down from an academy student.

The black garbed man looked at Konohamaru with narrowed eyes.

"The Hokage's grandson eh? Well, it is really a pity I am no Konoha-nin." Finished the man as he punched Konohamaru in the stomach before dropping the boy onto the dirt road.

Heni was past the Konoha group, running at the man full tilt with his fist cocked back before Hisemi could stop him. A kunai embedding itself in front and stopping the newly promoted genin in his tracks. The Suna-nin was ready. That much Sakura could see. The package he had on his back was now on the floor, leaning against the palm of his hand.

"Oy, Kankuro." Said the girl with a hint of annoyance. "You're even going to use that?" she asked.

"Gaara is going to be pissed if he finds out we were late because of a fight."

"Yeah, yeah." Said Kankuro. "Don't worry. This will be over quick."

Suddenly, a small piece of rock from nowhere hit the Suna-nin on the head. Everyone's eyes turning up into the branches of the tree as a nasal voice came from it.

"I suggest you take her advice and leave." Said Sasuke as he coolly sat on the branch. "You do not want to get into something that you cannot get out of."

Sakura could have sworn she had heard squeals of "Sasuke-kun is so cool." She herself had felt his chakra approaching and was very sure Naruto had too, it was nothing special.

Meanwhile, Kankuro was glaring at Sasuke, cursing himself for not having noticed the Konoha-nin as he arrived. However, it was the second voice that came from the tree that froze both Kankuro's and Temari's blood.

"That is enough, Kankuro." Came a deeper voice from the tree Sasuke was sitting in, a red headed boy appearing on the other side of the tree trunk. The killing intent the boy was emitting totally different from the one that Zabuza had emitted during their time in the Wave.

"G… Gaara!" stuttered Kankuro, the fear evident in his eyes.

"No excuses. A word more and I will kill you. Understand?" said the boy with a glare that nearly made Kankuro piss his pants.

Kankuro nodded, scared to say anything more. The red head with what seemed like a large sake gourd, teleported in front of Kankuro in a whirlwind of sand. The Konoha-nin still in awe as to how the red head had appeared without any of them detecting him. Not even Naruto nor Sakura had detected his chakra either. Not until the boy had spoken out.

"My apologies to the village of Konoha for this little… incident." He said, the coldness of the tone, the lack of emotion in his voice sending shivers through the Konoha nins' bodies. This was one they would have to watch out for during the exams.

The Suna-nin were walking away when Sasuke called out to them.

"Oy! What is your name?" the Uchiha yelled.

The Suna-nin turned around. The girl blushing as she stuttered "M...Me?"

"No." cut off Sasuke. "You, with the gourd, what is your name?"

The red haired boy only turned slightly. Just enough to glare at Sasuke with one corner off his eye before he spoke. "Sabaku no Gaara and you are?"

The Uchiha smirked. "I only give out my name to opponents who prove themselves worthy." Said the boy as he shunshined away leaving no room for the red head to reply. The Suna-nin left without a further word as well.

Naruto saw the relief in the younger nins' faces as the Suna trio left to meet their sensei. He himself had felt something weird and yet familiar about the boy. All he knew for the moment was that the boy was strong, so strong that even his teammates feared him as they feared death. Sabaku no Gaara, eh? He thought to himself as he walked off with Sakura beside him, a wry smile adorning his face. These Chuunin exams were sure to be interesting with such people around.

X—X—X—X—X

The couple split up early that day, both deciding to go and rest up since they had no idea what was in store for the next day. Sakura decided to take the longer route home again, taking the time to think through everything.

Her participation in the Chuunin Exams was not an issue. Kakashi had trained them so well that she was confident that the both of them could come through whatever the examiners threw at them in one whole piece. She considered their teamwork amongst the best in the whole of Konoha if not the best in their age group. She even considered it to be good enough to rival Ino-Shika-Cho's teamwork, as her best friends team liked to call themselves.

Individually, she considered herself to be the top Kunoichi to graduate from her batch of academy students, Ino being the only other. The fact that Ino mainly concentrated on her family Jutsus and being the proper feminine type up until team 11's return from the Wave gave her enough confidence that she could take her on with little to no hassle.

However, what worried her was the Suna trio that she had met today. Compared to her friends in Konoha that she heard about and saw on a weekly basis, the three from Suna seemed to be on a totally different level.

The guy with the black overalls carried a wrapped bundle which she had no idea what it contained. She assumed it to be some sort of mid range weapon, as his body did not look like it was really prepared or built for close combat.

The girl was a wind user for sure, the fan she carried on her back a dead giveaway. If Sakura had to fight her one on one, Sakura would have to rely on her Doton jutsu knowledge as her little Suiton ability would not be able to stand up against the sheer raw firepower of the wind. The weight of her Doton ninjutsu, however, was a different story. The only problem with this theory was that the few Doton jutsu she knew were very taxing on her chakra supply and that if she met Temari in real battle, she would have to wait for the most opportune moment before striking.

And then there was the scariest of them all, the red headed Sabaku no Gaara. Neither Sakura nor Naruto had any clue as to what his abilities were. Neither of them had observed anything that suggested what type of ninja or techniques the boy used. Sure, they had seen the sand teleportation, however that did not mean he used sand. Kakashi had used the leaf teleportation many a time and he didn't use leaves to fight. Yet this also didn't mean that sand was not his weapon either. She might have over ruled it before the wave, but she had seen and met a boy that used ice as a weapon. A few drops of water converted to ice with the input of wind chakra turned those simple drops of water into a cold and sharp weapon. These simple words had come from the ice user himself and thus, both Sakura and Naruto had left sand as possible weapon. The real question was, how skilled were this trio and were they the only team to come from the other villages that would be this strong.

Sakura turned into a narrow alleyway, making handseals as she rounded the corner, the genjutsu falling into effect immediately. The pink haired girl jumped up onto the roof of a nearby building as she formed more handseals, glancing down as she let the second genjutsu fall into place on the man following her.

You underestimate me, Iruka-sensei, she thought with a smile as she watched the Chuunin walk through the alleyway as if he was still stalking something.

Sakura had noticed him since she had parted ways with Naruto, the familiar chakra signature following her every move becoming rather comforting than worrying. It had been one of the reasons she had taken this route than the shorter and more direct one, the first being to clear her mind.

The double layered genjutsu would still be in effect until she got home, the distance between the caster and the jutsu the only thing causing it to fall apart.

Sakura was deep in thought as to why Iruka would follow her when she felt something start to wrap around her leg. The girl glanced down and leaped back as she saw a vine growing out from the concrete rooftop. Mokuton Ninjutsu! She realized as she landed a few feet away. But it was only an ability that the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama had, none of his children gaining the ability.

A small gust of wind alerted Sakura to an incoming fist, the girl ducking under the punch, hoping to land a blow on the attacker. However the attacker was faster than she assumed, pivoting away from her fist, trying to plant his heel onto the top of her head only to see that the girl had rolled away from where his foot landed. Sakura wasted little time, propelling herself with her two feet, trying to tackle the man as he tried to locate her. Yet the man twisted away, placing a hand on her back, shoving her towards the concrete.

Sakura used her hands to break her fall, flipping herself so she landed facing the onrushing attacker. By this time, Sakura knew her attacker was serious and holding nothing back. Well, it didn't matter what he wanted, she thought as she prepared herself to go full out. All she knew was that she would make him work for whatever he had come here for.

X—X—X—X—X

Things had gone mostly the same for Naruto, the boy instead deciding to go to his favorite spot to think on the future exams and it was here that he was confronted with his opponent.

It had all started off with an appearance from Sasuke as he left towards home, the Uchiha following the blond boy through the street where Naruto had finally lost his patience and turned around to confront Sasuke.

"Why are you following me, Teme?" hissed the blond boy as he whirled around at the Uchiha.

Sasuke gave Naruto his usual smirk. "I'm just going home as you are Dobe. Can't you see that? Or are you too blind?"

Naruto gritted his teeth at Sasuke's taunt. He was reaching his tolerance limit with the other boy's arrogance, yet this was neither the time nor the place to humiliate the egotistic boy.

Naruto smiled knowing that it would irk the number one rookie. "Everyone knows that this road does not lead to the Uchiha compound, Sasuke." He said, using his name to add more fuel to the fire. "Are you lost?"

The Uchiha took a step forward before he was able to withhold himself. "No, no. I just wanted to know why you and your girlfriend didn't lift a finger to help the young boy today. Too chicken for that?"

Naruto took the taunt like a man. "No, not at all. I mean, I'm not as fame hungry as you are to flaunt around my skills and my strength like you do. Besides, it wasn't me who had to replace himself with Sakura so that he wouldn't be scratched."

This last sentence Naruto had spoken had done it. The enraged Uchiha dashing towards Naruto with speed he had never shown before. However, Naruto stood his ground and watched Sasuke come closer before he put his hand in the ram seal and yelled out the word "Kai!"

Sasuke immediately vanished to be replaced by a fist sized rock which Naruto caught easily.

"I am not fooled so easily Neko-chan." Spoke Naruto as he tossed the rock into some shadows, tapping his nose as he spoke. His nose was almost infallible and unless the rock had been rubbed all over Sasuke before it had been thrown, it was very unlikely that it would have been thrown off.

"I can see that Naru-kun." Said the voice of the ANBU member as she stepped out of the shadows. "Looks like you aren't so vulnerable to genjutsu after all."

Naruto grinned. Of course he was, it was his greatest weakness, but he wasn't going to confess it for anyone listening to hear.

"So, I assume you are here to test me before the Chuunin Exams?" Naruto asked as he tensed. As always, a test consisted of three parts, Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Now would be the time that the other half of the exam started.

"Right on as always." Said the cat masked ANBU. "Sakura-chan is being tested as we speak." Finished the cat, a hint of tease in her voice as she spoke Sakura's name.

"So, you think we can finish mine?" asked Naruto as he stepped into a ready stance that Neko had not seen before. "I have a few cups of ramen waiting for me at home."

"Ah, Naruto-kun." Said Neko as she took one step closer. "It has already begun."

The blond boy looked at the female ANBU for a moment before it struck him. He had been wondering why Neko had made no moves even though she had said the test had begun. Of course she wouldn't, thought Naruto as he dived to a side barely avoiding the heel that slammed into the floor where he had been standing on earlier. It wasn't her that was testing him at all!

Naruto was barely able to bring himself to a stop before he had to dodge again, clumsily avoiding the earth spike that erupted from where he had paused. The blond boy kept leaping from spot to spot as the spikes kept erupting out from underneath him making him twist and turn in mid air.

Naruto quickly formed some handseals as his back turned towards Bear, blowing small balls of flame at the ANBU as he turned to face him. Impressive, Thought Neko as she watched the small duel take place. The boy had arced the flame balls just so that the larger and more knowledgeable ANBU member could not use the Doryuuheki as a defensive jutsu causing the large ANBU member to leap backwards where Naruto had wanted him to go.

The boy wasted no time, launching something from he produced from his pocket straight at the nin, rushing the big man immediately afterwards. The speed of the projectile surprised Bear as he realized the force with which it had been thrown, a reflexive hand coming up to catch it. Both Bear and Neko realized what it was the moment he caught it. the very same rock that Neko had thrown under the genjutsu.

If this was the rock that Neko had thrown at Naruto, what exactly had the boy tossed into a corner? Bear was about to move when he found himself weighed down. The man managed to glance down before he resigned himself to defeat. Clinging to his legs were a dozen of Naruto's clones and this gave him the answer to what Naruto had tossed into the shadows. There was a slight tap on Bear's mask as Naruto stood in front of him.

"I win." Were the only words the boy spoke as his grin spread across his face.

The clones vanished allowing Bear to stand up to his full height as well as move freely. It was the sound of clapping that turned both their attention to Neko.

"Impressive, Naru-kun." She said as she walked closer. "An adaptation of Kakashi-sempai's Tsuiga no Jutsu I see. Very good under the circumstances." Finished the cat masked female.

Bear nodded in agreement. "In reality you would have killed an ANBU level ninja had this not been an exercise."

"In reality you would not have let me go this easily." Said Naruto.

"The genjutsu perhaps." Spoke Bear. "But I still would have underestimated you had I been trying to end your life and you still would have cornered me. Had you not known me, can you say you would not have dealt the final blow?"

Naruto shook his head. He himself knew that he would have killed Bear had he had a single doubt about his motives.

"Well, in any case, you pass this test with flying colors. Hokage-sama has asked us to let you ask us three questions in total, about something you wish to know about. Note that the questions must be asked now." Said Neko as she stood beside her ANBU teammate.

"What's this test about?" Asked Naruto.

"The Hokage wanted to see your growth. Both yours and Haruno's. Thus he assigned our ANBU squad the task of testing you two, separately and based on your weaknesses." Stated Bear.

"Why separately?" Asked Naruto, using up the second of his three questions.

"After observing you two for a week, the Hokage has come to the conclusion that your teamwork is almost perfect apart from the fact that you two will still improve and add on to it. The only concern for him while assigning this mission to you would be on how you handled yourselves IF and when you were separated from each other and left to fend for yourselves." Said Neko.

"Last question." Said Bear.

"What happens if either of us fails?" asked Naruto. In truth there were a lot of questions that he wanted to ask. A lot of information he wanted to gain from the two experienced ninja. But he had a limit of how many questions he could ask and this last one, seemed to be the most important at this particular time.

"Simple. We beat the loser up so bad that neither of you can join the exams."

Naruto smiled. It had not been long since Kakashi had informed them of what would happen had even a single one of them not chosen to go through with the exam. However, there was no need for him to worry about their entrance. There was absolutely no way that Sakura was going to fail her test and in the end it would be their team that walked through the doors of the exam hall to take the Chuunin Exams.

Naruto bowed to the two ANBU, turning and walking off towards his home where he planned to rest and sleep for the duration of the night. The two ANBU could only stare as the form of the boy disappeared into the distance.

"Does he not care about the welfare of his team mate?" whispered Bear to Neko as Naruto vanished.

However, it was not Neko who replied, but the voice of Kakashi. "Back-up is not the only aspect teamwork has. There should also be something we like to call faith in our teammate's abilities. You would do well to remember that."

The clone poofed away before either of the ANBU could say a word.

X—X—X—X—X

Meanwhile Sakura was having a harder time with her test than she had anticipated at the beginning. It was clear to her that after five minutes of dodging and trying to counter her opponent, that the man was far more skilled than a Chuunin, possibly even a Jounin. The question was though, why was he targeting her? To make it easier for their team in the Chuunin Exams? If so it didn't make much sense. Neither Naruto nor Sakura had shown the genin their full potential. Not even enough to be considered a proper threat and surely not enough to warrant an attack on them. Come to think of it she didn't even know if Naruto was being attacked at all. She wanted answers and there was only one way she was going to get them. Beat him first.

Sakura jumped away from the incoming fist of the enemy shinobi, rolling on the ground before she came to her feet panting. She had good stamina, but not good enough to last for so long against a higher level ninja. She needed to finish this fast and she knew it would take something out of the ordinary to do that. Sakura ran through the technique files in her brain, looking for a jutsu or a trick that might work against her enemy.

There was one jutsu that she found that could possibly work. A jutsu that the man would not expect a genin of her caliber to know, a jutsu that she had found in a scroll in her house. Her father's she had assumed. However she was no master of that jutsu and she would need the man to be disoriented or even surprised for a short while. Even the slightest opening would do for her. Now what did she have in her arsenal that could do that job?

When the answer hit her, she could not believe how simple it had been. Smiling, Sakura dived and stood still, waiting for her opponent to charge her, which he did without delay. She could only hope that she timed it right and it worked. If it didn't, she was royally screwed.

Sakura formed handseals as she watched the onrushing opponent, waiting till the last moment when she used a simple academy jutsu to turn the tables on her opponent.

Sakura mentally thanked Sasuke for showing her that the jutsu could be used that way. If he hadn't replaced himself with her, neither she nor Naruto would have ever even thought to practice Kawarimi on living and moving objects. And Sakura knew that if not for the very quick Kawarimi, that this combination of jutsu would not work at all.

Sakura quickly jabbed her opponent behind the neck before speaking the words, "Kanashibari no Jutsu." as she effectively paralyzed her opponent. The pink haired Kunoichi was reaching for her Kunai to finish the man off when the body she had just trapped fell to the ground as a heap of wood. Her heart nearly stopped at the sight.

It wasn't an easy job to replace herself with a living object. It was harder yet for her to replace herself with something moving as well. The drain on her chakra reserves so great that she could only afford to do it twice before she would faint due to chakra exhaustion. The fact that the man had been a clone meant that the real offender was still around and that her fight was not over yet. Worse, Sakura was very low on chakra.

Sakura had literally resigned herself to defeat when the sound of clapping reached her ears. The young girl turned around to see the very same man that had attacked her now applauding her.

"Good job Sakura." Came Kakashi's voice as the Jounin also appeared next to the other man. "You passed the Hokage's test."

Test? The question rang out inside Sakura's head and she was sure her expression had betrayed the question when Kakashi continued.

"The test was to see how both you and Naruto would handle yourselves if you were separated from each other. Whether you would fall apart as a team or if you would be able to handle yourselves. I am proud to say that both of you passed the tests with flying colors."

The next one to speak was the man next to Kakashi.

"As to how you passed it, you were able to defeat my Moku Bunshin. It has roughly the same chakra and abilities that a low level Jounin has. I never expected for you to use the Kawarimi in such a way though it is very interesting. I shall record that information about the technique. Maybe the ANBU forces could benefit of such an ingenious usage of academy level technique."

The man took a slight break before continuing in order to let the information sink into Sakura. He waited a few more seconds before he himself continued. "It has also come to my attention that you possess both water and earth affinities which is why I volunteered to test you." He said as he paused. "With Kakashi's permission, I would like it if I could train you. That is if you make it to the final stage of the exams." Said the man as he looked at Kakashi.

The silver haired Jounin nodded and the man vanished without a further word.

"Do not worry about Tenzo. Even though he maybe weird, he is one of the most loyal of ANBU I have ever served with. And as for his offer, I think you should take it. After all, his Mokuton abilities also stem from the two affinities you possess. Who knows, maybe you will be the first non-Senju to be able to use Mokuton." Said Kakashi with a smile. "You do not need to give him an answer now. Simply tell me when you have reached a decision and I will pass the message on. Now, if you have no further questions, I suggest you go rest. Tomorrow will be a tough day."

Sakura was too busy filing all of the information in her brain that she did not even notice when Kakashi left. She ended up walking home as if in a hypnotized state, the delayed reaction of passing this preliminary test only occurring the moment she hit the bed.

Across the village of Konoha, the other half of Team 7 was deep in sleep with a smile adorning his face. Tomorrow was the beginning of the Chuunin Exams and there was no way they were going to mess things up.

X—X—X—X—X

Alright! Finalllllyyyyy! Yeah I know I've been keeping u guys waiting for so long. I got my lap confiscated and it stopped my work in the middle. Now I have it back and am looking forward to updating more frequently again.

Btw… im sorry if u guys feel the ending is rushed… I feel it too… but I cant seem to be able to figure out what I can add to it :/

Anywayysssss. REVIEW!