DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANYONE ELSE!
The Pairing Votes So Far:
Ino- 3
Tenten- 5
Temari- 8
Ino and Temari- 15
Ino and Tenten- 18
Temari and Tenten- 28
Voting Ends In Next Chapter. Feel Free To Vote Again!
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"GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE YOU FUCKING NINE-LIVED FREAK!" Naruto shouted as he jumped for a certain cat that always ran away from a certain woman who was married to the lord of the Land of Fire.
Life had begun to go back to normal Squad Eight after they returned from the Land of Waves. After such a mission, Kurenai, as well as the Hokage felt that getting some D-Ranks for a while would suffice for the team. As much as Naruto hated them, he could use a break, for one or two missions. Yet, when the team found themselves on about the fifth cat retrieval mission, the blonde was getting testy to say the least. He ran after the cat and literally jumped on top of him, causing the feline to panic, squirm around in his arms, and claw his face. The cat calmed down as Hinata took it away from Naruto, who muttered under his breath as they returned the feline to the Hokage's Tower where its owner was waiting. The three Genin left the tower, as Kurenai handed in a report on their missions they ran that day.
"Been pretty busy lately?" Iruka asked as he took the report from her.
"More or less…" Kurenai replied. "Then again, when you have the son of Anko around, things tend to be a little more interesting than normal."
"How is the little hellion? Getting along well with his team?" Iruka asked.
"For the most part. He and Hinata are almost inseparable, but then again that's expected since they've known each other for so long. His relationship with Shino Aburame gave a fear that the two wouldn't get along at all, but they seem to be hitting it off as well." she replied.
"You know your team has been doing a lot of D-Rank missions lately since they got back from Wave… Sure you're not pushing them to hard?" Iruka asked.
"Sure you're not scared that they'll soon be the same rank as you?" she asked back.
"I'm sorry?" he replied.
"Nothing…" Kurenai responded. "Anyways, I'm going to go wait in the break room for a bit, seeing as how Hokage-sama says there'll be a meeting in about an hour."
Naruto happily slurped his third bowl of ramen. There was nothing like a little post-lunch, pre-dinner ramen snack in his mind. He smiled at the old man as he tossed some money onto the counter, and walked out to get some air. These lousy D-Rank missions were boring as hell. He couldn't wait for another mission like that at Wave. Then again, having some company would've been good too. Unfortunately, Hinata had a clan meeting, Lee and Tenten were still training with their squad, and Shino was in a meeting with his clan. There was his Oka-san, but she was busy in the Hokage Tower and such all day, and the last time he decided to hang around there, he ended up doing her share of paperwork. He trudged along the road from the ramen stand that led to the Forest of Death, when he heard a faint sound from behind. He sighed as he turned around and came face to face with a square shaped rock.
"Konohamaru, rocks aren't perfect squares like that." Naruto muttered.
As if it had happened before, the box-shaped rock was tossed up into the air. From underneath it, climbed three kids, who just so happened to call themselves the Konohamaru Squad. The first member was of course, Konohamaru, who just so happened to be the Sandaime's grandson. The next member's name was Moegi, a small girl with bright orange hair that she kept in pigtails. The final member was a boy with glasses by the name of Udon. He was the shortest, though that wasn't saying much, and looked like he had no idea what a tissue was so he could blow his constantly running nose.
"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked.
"Did you forget?" Konohamaru asked. "You promised you'd play ninja with us this week."
"Did I promise that?" Naruto asked. "Doesn't sound like something I'd do…"
"Naruto!" all three shouted.
"You're not gonna leave me alone until we do this, are ya?" Naruto asked. All three shook their heads proudly. "All right, let's do this…"
"Do what?" a female voice asked. " Isn't it a little weird for a ninja to be playing ninja?"
Naruto and the kids looked up to see Tenten smiling at them while trying to hold back from laughing at the thought of Naruto babysitting a bunch of kids. She had her hair pulled up in two buns like always. Her headband was tied around her forehead. She was wearing a pair of green capri pants, with a sleeveless pink, Chinese-styled shirt, and a pair of blue shinobi sandals.
"Hey there, Ten-chan!" Naruto smiled. "Um… What's up?"
"Not much, just got done with some training is all." she replied. "Gai-sensei is good at running us into the ground, always going on about the power of youth… Then Lee goes on about it… Ick…"
"Hey, Naruto!" Konohamaru asked. "Who's the babe, huh? Is she your girlfriend or something? She's got a pretty face, but she could use more in the rack and caboose department, ya know?"
Naruto froze in his tracks. Slowly, the blonde looked up to Tenten, her face turned red. Her hand reached into her pocket and pulling out a kunai. Her eyes seemed to turn blood red. The blonde turned back to the Konohamaru Corps, and looked them dead in the eye.
"Run… Now." was all he said. The kids took off with Naruto close behind, and Tenten on his heels with pure killer intent radiating from her. The kids and Naruto ran for all they had as kunai and shuriken came flying at them from behind. Naruto smiled as the path split into two ways. "Split up, now!" The kids followed, Udon and Moegi going right and Naruto and Konohamaru going left. Unfortunately for Naruto, Tenten went left too.
"You better run like hell, Mitarashi!" Tenten shouted as Naruto narrowly dodged another kunai.
The girl had killer aim. Konohamaru turned around to look back, just in time to run straight into another person. Naruto skidded to a stop, as did Tenten. Before them was a boy and a girl, both shinobi judging from the headbands on them. The boy was wearing solid black. He had purple paint lines across his face, and a hood over his head that looked like cat ears. Attached to his back was a strange bandaged up thing… Naruto and the others couldn't tell what it was. The girl had blonde hair the same color as him. She wore a short purple dress outfit, with fishnets underneath. Strapped across her back was a large fan. Her hair was done up into four pig tails, two on top and two on the bottom. The boy reached down and picked up Konohamaru, glaring at him with a smirk across his face.
Meanwhile, across town, various Jonin and Chunin were in the Hokage's office where the meeting was taking place. Most of the Jonin there were the ones in charge of Genin squads, the most particular of which, happened to be the ones in charge of this year's rookie teams. The Hokage lit his pipe and cleared his throat before addressing the crowd.
"Seeing as how all who were invited into this meeting are here now, we finally begin to discuss them." the old man said.
"I see… So it's time for the Chunin Exams already?" a Jonin asked from the back of the room. "I thought I was seeing a few more foreign ninja coming through the gates today than normal."
"Correct." the Hokage said. "The day after tomorrow, on the first of July, we shall begin the examinations for the promotion to the rank of Chunin. That being said, let's hear from those responsible for overseeing our newest Genin." At the sound of this, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai all three walked forward. "Jonin Sensei Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi, do you have among your charges, any Genin you recommend for the Chunin Exams? Keep in mind that they must have completed a minimum of eight missions. Other than that, use your own judgment as to whether they are ready to aspire to the next level."
"There's no way any of these three will recommend any Genin for the exams." Iruka thought. "It's way too early for any of them."
"Kakashi Hatake, leader of Squad Seven, which consists of Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, and Ino Yamanaka. I vow on my name and the honor of my clan, the Hatake, that all three of them are ready for the Chunin Exam." Kakashi said.
"What?" Iruka whispered in shock.
"Asuma Sarutobi, leader of Squad Ten, which consists of Sakura Haruno, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara. I vow on my name and the honor of my clan, the Sarutobi, that all three my Genin are ready for the Chunin Exam." Asuma said as he puffed on his cigarette.
"Kurenai Yuhi, leader of Squad Eight, consisting of Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, and Naruto Mitarashi." Kurenai began. She paused as she heard a few people mumbling at the naming of the last Genin. "I vow on my name and the honor of my clan, the Yuhi, that all the Genin in my squad are ready for the Chunin Exam."
"NO!" A random Chunin in the room. Everyone turned to look at him. "There's no way we can let the demon take the exams! He shouldn't have even been let into the academy to begin with!"
Before he could even blink, the said Chunin was being held to point by three people in particular. Kakashi had a kunai held at his stomach, Kurenai at his neck, and Anko at his… plumbing. Anko leaned forward until her face was right against his, slowly pushing her kunai closer to its target.
"I will give you ONE warning, not only did you just violate the Hokage's law, but that is MY son you're talking about. If I ever see you speak about him, look at him, THINK about him, I will make sure that you never get to have ONE child, you got that piss-ant?!" Anko whispered.
The Chunin nodded, and all three shinobi released him. He immediately fell back into the arms of the ANBU, who carried him out of the room. The Hokage cleared his throat, and sighed.
"Is there anyone else who has any objections?" the Third asked.
"I'm sorry, but I have to say something." Iruka said as he walked forward. "None of the Genin that were named are ready for an exam like this yet! All nine of them were students of mine back at the academy, and while they may show promise and potential, they are all far too young to be stepping up to the Chunin level yet. Only with time will they obtain the maturity and skill required to pass the exams."
"Now, Iruka…" Kakashi said as he walked forward. "I was six years younger than the rookies when I obtained the rank of Chunin."
"I didn't ask about you!" Iruka replied. "These kids aren't like you!"
"That doesn't matter to you anymore, Iruka." Kurenai replied as she walked back to the front where the others waited. "I understand that you still care about them, but the minute you allowed them to pass on to the rank of Genin, they were no longer your students, but soldiers under our command."
"But…" Iruka began.
"No buts…" Asuma said. "Get over your problems, and deal with the fact that the kiddies are growing up."
The boy in black looked Konohamaru over in his hands. He pulled tightly on the end of his scarf as he smirked evilly. The small boy gulped in fear, something that the older boy who held him seemed to relish.
"That kinda hurt, ya little snot-face." the boy in black said.
"Will you just let him go…" the blonde girl beside him said. "You're just going to piss you know who off!"
"Look, we were just fooling around!" Tenten said apologetically. "Please put him down."
"In a minute!" the boy in black replied. "I just wanna have some fun with him while we're waiting for the annoyance to get here." He looked back to Konohamaru and grinned. "Besides I'm allergic to shrimp, so I should get rid of this one here, and then I'll get you two jumbo ones."
He reached up and bawled his hand into a fist and began to send it down to Konohamaru. Suddenly, the boy in black found himself unable to move his arm. He looked up to see a snake wrapped around it, and he followed the snake all the way to the sleeves of Naruto's trench coat.
"I'll give you three seconds to put him down before I rip your arm off." Naruto said as he began to pull the snake.
"Better do it, Kankuro…" the blonde girl said. "He looks like he could do it."
"Tch… Like he could…" Kankuro said back. Naruto grabbed the snake harder and began to pull. Kankuro winced in pain as he tried to keep hold of the boy. "Damn it!" he shouted as he dropped Konohamaru. The small boy ran from Konohamaru and hid behind Naruto's leg. "You little bitch…" Kankuro muttered. He sat his bandaged bundle on the ground and smiled. "Time to kick your ass."
"Kankuro… You're being ridiculous!" the blonde girl said.
"I don't care." Kankuro said to them all. "I'm going to beat the crap out of all of you." He turned back and looked at the blonde girl. "Stand back, Temari."
"Kankuro, that's enough!" Temari replied.
"Stop it…" an eerie voice said. Everyone paused and looked up towards a tree to see a red haired, green eyed, pale skinned boy standing upside down on a tree limb. He had thick, black circles around his eyes, a giant gourd strapped to his back, and the kanji for love tattooed on his forehead. "You're a disgrace to our entire village."
"Gaara… I can explain!" Kankuro begged.
"Shut up, or I'll kill you…" he replied. "To think that you would get into a fight with a bunch of kids…"
"But Gaara, they bumped into me first! I just…" Kankuro began.
Gaara simply glared at Kankuro, causing him to shut up immediately. He glared back down at Naruto and Tenten and jumped down the tree, landing on the ground gracefully. He turned around and looked at the two Konoha Genin before walking back towards Temari and Kankuro.
"I apologize for the trouble my siblings caused…" he said as they began to leave.
"Wait a minute…" Naruto said.
"What?" Gaara asked as they stopped.
"Those headbands… I remember that emblem on them now. You guys are from Sunagakure, right? Suna and Konoha are allies, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked back.
"Yeah… You're not even supposed to cross the boarder without proper authorization." Tenten added.
"We are allowed to be here." Temari said as she pulled out a passport. "We're three Genin from Suna here to take the Chunin Exams."
"It's time for those again?" Naruto asked. "That explains where oka-san was going in such a hurry today."
"What are you talking about?" Tenten asked.
"The Chunin Exams are kinda like the Genin Exam." Naruto said. "Basically, they're exams that promote Genin to the rank of Chunin. Ninja from all over show up to take the exam, you know from places like Suna, Konoha, Kiri…"
"Right." Kankuro said. "And we need to go check in now, so buzz off…"
The three turned to walk away again. However, this time Gaara paused. He put his hand up to his forehead, as if he had a headache or something. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before he turned back to face Naruto.
"You… What's your name?" he asked.
"Me? I'm Naruto, Naruto Mitarashi. And you are?" Naruto answered.
"Gaara…" was all he replied before turning back and walking off.
"What a group of freaks…" Tenten whispered.
"You think that about anyone you don't know." the blonde replied back. "Gaara, huh? There's something interesting about that guy… Not to mention his sister is kinda hot too…"
"Naruto!" Tenten called. "You there?"
"I'm fine!" he smiled. "Think I'll head home now. Konohamaru, we'll play ninja some other time, ok?"
Before Konohamaru could even respond, Naruto was up in the trees and heading for the Forest of Death to his home. He didn't even bother to read the note from Anko that was sitting on a table, as it usually said the same thing every night. That being that she was going out drinking and would be back later. He wanted to ask her about the Chunin Exams, but decided to wait to talk to her tomorrow morning after his squad's meeting, when she would be sober. Before he knew it, the next morning had come, and his team waited at there usual meeting spot in a teashop that Kurenai frequented quite often.
"She's late…" Shino said as he sipped some tea.
"Tell me about it…" Naruto said as he drummed his fingers on top of the table.
"I'm sure she'll be here soon." Hinata said.
Sure enough, as soon as Hinata had uttered those words, Kurenai walked into the shop. She spotted her team and sat down at their table, ordering a cup of tea for herself. She greeted the squad and they greeted her back, she then handed them three sheets of paper.
"Sorry I'm late." she said to them. "I had to stop by the Hokage's tower to pick these forms up."
"Ano, Kurenai-sensei? What are these?" Hinata asked.
"No way!" Naruto shouted excitedly. "These are applications for the Chunin Exams!"
"Indeed…" Shino replied as he looked the form over.
"Yes, as you no doubt have all guessed, I recommended you for the Chunin Exams." Kurenai said. "All you have to do is fill out these applications."
"Is it required for us to do so?" Shino asked.
"No." Kurenai replied. "Not a single one of you has to take Chunin Exams if you don't want to. This is a decision that you should not take lightly. I want all three of you to think it over carefully. If you do decided to take the exam, then please report to Room 301 in the Ninja Academy tomorrow afternoon at four. There will be no training today, so use your time to think about this."
As soon as she drank her tea, Kurenai disappeared in a whirl of leaves, leaving the team alone. They had thought about heading to their homes, but instead opted to just hangout instead. They made their way to a small pond in the park and just sat by the water being quiet.
"The Chunin Exams, huh?" Naruto said as he looked back the paper in his hands.
"Are you going to enter?" Shino asked.
"Of course!" Naruto replied. "You'd have to be stupid not to take an opportunity like this!"
"Would you?" Shino asked back. "Or would you be making a smart move?"
"What do you mean, Shino-kun?" Hinata asked.
"I've heard that the Chunin Exams have been the breaking point for many hopeful Genin." Shino replied. "The Exams tend to be a dangerous time indeed, some ninja become so scared during the test, they quit the path of a shinobi all together. Some of them have even died."
"D-died?" Hinata asked.
"That is why Kurenai-sensei asked us to think it over carefully." Shino concluded. "Taking this test is a life altering decision on many levels." Shino rose to his feet and began to walk off, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I'm going to think this over some more alone. Before I leave, I want you both to know that if either one of you don't show up tomorrow, I will not think any less of you. You are both valuable comrades… Friends."
He walked off leaving both Naruto and Hinata on their own. Both Genin looked at each other, before rising to their feet and following Shino's example. Hinata returned to the Hyuuga complex to do her thinking, and Naruto returned to the tower. As he went inside, he saw Anko sitting in a simple robe reading on the couch. She smiled at him as he walked inside.
"How'd your meeting go, squirt?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh… Fine." Naruto replied.
"Doesn't sound like it went fine." Anko said as she stood up and walked over to the boy. "What's up?"
"Kurenai-sensei showed up to the meeting today with these." he said showing her the application to the Chunin Exam.
"Chunin Exam, huh?" she asked with a smirk. "Seems like yesterday I was still letting you sleep beside me because you were scared of the dark."
"S-shut up…" Naruto replied with a blush.
"What's wrong, gaki? I thought you'd have jumped at a chance like this." Anko asked.
"I am excited… Or was anyways…" Naruto muttered.
"What's up, Naruto?" his mother asked back.
"It's just… This could be my one shot, ya know? To show everyone in the village I'm not just some demon, or a dobe… But to show them that I'm an awesome shinobi worthy of their respect." he replied.
"Then what are you waiting for? Sign that form and go kick some ass!" she said.
"What if I fail? They'll all think they were right, and I'm just…" Naruto began to go on.
"Naruto, you are my son. You have good friends who would do anything for you. No matter how you do, you'll always have the respect of them." Anko said.
"Oka-san…" Naruto muttered.
"Besides, you're a Mitarashi! One of the greatest clans Konoha knows! Now go show the village just what kinda of dynamic, hell rising ninja you are!"
"Thanks, oka-san." Naruto smiled as he grabbed a pen and started to fill out the form.
Hinata stared quietly at the meal that was before her. She light drug her chopsticks through the curry, her mind focusing solely on the application for the Chunin Exams. She normally didn't say much during dinner and other meals, but Hiashi noticed that she seemed even more quiet and reclusive than normal. As he finished his meal, he stood up and looked over to the Hyuuga heiress.
"Hinata." he called. The startled girl looked up at him in surprise. "Come to my study after dinner. I wish to speak to you alone."
"Hai." she said quietly as she finally began to eat her curry. After her meal, she made her way to the specified area, knocking on the door gently. "Oto-san?"
"Come in." he replied from behind the door. Hinata entered at sat down in a chair that was in front of the desk where Hiashi sat. He closed the book before he looked up at Hinata and cleared his throat. "You seemed distracted during your training afternoon. I admit that after you completed you mission to Wave, you actually began performing a lot better in training and sparring. Just the other day you managed to beat Hanabi in all three matches you normally have. Today though, you began to vaguely remind me of the way you were before the mission, the way you were before becoming a Genin. What is on your mind that's causing you to space out so much?"
Hinata reached into her pocket and pulled out the application form. She carefully handed it to Hiashi, who looked it over. A small sparkle seemed to light up in his eye, one that Hinata had seen only in her dreams. It looked like he was proud of her for just a moment, before regaining his normal, cold, stern face.
"Oto-san?" she asked.
"The Chunin Exams…" Hiashi said. "Very interesting. You're taking them a full year earlier than your cousin Neji. To even be recommended for such a test must prove that you have advanced farther than I thought you would in such a short amount of time."
"Oto-san…" Hinata said as she felt a shade of blush rising to her face, hearing her father actually talk well of her.
"I'm proud of Hinata." Hiashi said. "You are progressing quickly. I think you should take the exam. You are more than ready I believe. Take the exam, and make the Main Branch proud."
He left the room, leaving Hinata alone with the form. She looked back down at it, holding it close. Her father, the man who normally only spoke of what a disappointment she was, talked proudly of her. He was impressed with her progress. The day she was finally dreaming of was here. She couldn't just not take the exam now. She took a pen from the desk, and began to fill the application out.
Shino sat before his father at the table in the dinning room. They were both having there after dinner tea, a tradition that the two have done for years now. It was usually a quiet occasion. Although, that didn't say much for the Aburame clan. They usually quiet to begin with. Shino sat his tea on the table, thinking back to the application for the Chunin Exams.
"Oto-san… I was given an application for the Chunin Exams today." Shino said.
"I see…" his father, Shibi Aburame replied.
"I've been thinking this over carefully for the afternoon, and I think I'm going to sign up." Shino responded.
"Hn…" he replied.
"I wanted to ask if you believe my skills are up to the challenge." Shino said.
"Shino, you are one of the finest shinobi to come from our clan for sometime." Shibi said. "I have no doubt in my mind that you can handle the exam with flying colors. You've proven to be an asset to the clan, and a valuable comrade to your teammates. However, this doesn't mean that you will let us down if you do not become a Chunin. As long as you do the best you can, you will be making us proud."
Sooner then they had expected, the next day came. Naruto, Hinata, and Shino found themselves at the Ninja Academy around four in the afternoon, like they were supposed to be. All three looked a little apprehensive, and yet they were all glad to see that they all decided to take the exams. They all three looked at each other, before heading inside and to the floor where the exams would take place. They reached a floor that had an interesting sight. There were several groups of Genin standing outside of a door. The said door was being blocked by two shinobi, who were refusing to let anyone else in. Two of the people that caught Naruto's eyes the most, were Lee and Tenten. Lee was on the floor, rubbing a bruise on the side of his face, while Tenten was by his side, checking to see if he was alright.
"You weaklings really want to take the Chunin Exams?" one of the shinobi in front of the door that said Room 301 on it. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Please, let us through." Tenten said. "We have to take the exam!"
One of the men blocking the door reached out and punched her across the face hard. The girl began to fall to the floor, only to be caught by Naruto who had a kunai pressed right against the face of the man that hit her. He stared him straight in the eyes with pure killer intent.
"Apologize, or I will kill you." Naruto said.
"Like to see you try…" the man said.
Naruto jumped back and gently put Tenten on the ground. He then charged forward with a kick, as did the shinobi who hit her. Suddenly, Lee showed up in between both of them, managing to catch both of their kicks easily. The most noticeable thing about Lee, was that all the bruises he had earlier were gone.
"Heh… All healed up, Lee?" Naruto asked.
"You know me well, Naruto-kun." the boy replied.
"Regardless of who did what…" a voice said. Everyone turned to see Sasuke smirking with his team of Kiba and Ino right behind him. "I suggest you drop the genjutsu on the door and let us through."
"You are the rookie of the year?" Shino suddenly asked him.
"Shino?" Sasuke said looking at him.
"If you were, you would've known that this was obviously a ploy to weed out the weaker candidates for the exam. Of course, because you had to open your mouth about the door and such, now there will be even more competition for us to go through during the exams." Shino put his hands in his pockets and began to leave with Hinata and Naruto, who bid farewell to Lee and Tenten after checking if they were ok. Shino smiled as he looked back. "To think that they called Naruto a dobe…"
They didn't stick around long enough to hear Ino whine about the disrespect just showed to the great Sasuke, or Kiba laughing his ass off at the Uchiha being told off by the quietest kid in their class. Squad Seven walked by the others and into the doors. Lee smiled as he said he was going to make a bathroom run, and went up the stairs too. Tenten looked back over at her third teammate, who had been quiet this whole time. He wore dark brown shorts, a cream colored shirt, and had long brown hair he pulled back into a low ponytail. The most noticeable thing on him, were his pale, pupil-less eyes.
"Neji, are you alright?" Tenten asked.
"Fine." the Hyuuga replied. "Just fine." He walked past the other two an began to head up to the third floor. Tenten soon followed.. "So… Hinata-chan is taking the exams… This should be fun indeed…"
Eventually, Naruto, Hinata, and Shino reached the doors to the real Room 301. Their eyes widened as they saw Kurenai leaning against the wall waiting on them to show up. A smile graced her lips as she saw all three members of the squad approach her. She stood up straight and walked the rest of the way to them.
"Good to see that you all made it." she said. "Now you all qualify for the Chunin Exams."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"All three of us are required for the exams, aren't we?" Shino asked.
"Correct, Shino." Kurenai said. "The test is set up to be taken in three person teams. The reason why I essentially lied to you, and told you that the choice was up to you take the exam, was because I didn't want you to feel pressured by your teammates to take the test. No offense meant, but if Naruto would have told you to take the test, even if you didn't want to, chances are you would've done so anyway."
"What would've happened if one or two of us didn't show?" Naruto asked with a smirk.
"I'd have turned you away." Kurenai replied. "None of you would've been allowed past this point without the others. But, you're all here, and of your own will. I'm proud of you all. Go in there, and show them why Squad Eight is the best one in Konoha." The three Genin looked at each other and nodded. A smile was obvious on all their faces, even Shino. Naruto walked forward and opened the doors.
"Shino, Hinata!" Naruto said. "Let's go kick some ass!"
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The Chunin Exams are here. The first test will be in the next chapter, which also reunites all of the rookie nine for the first time since they graduated. Has anyone changed since then? Find out in the next chapter. Don't forget that this is the last chapter to vote on Naruto's pairing, so vote like the wind. Read, review, and I'll see you all next time.