"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Jutsu/Kurama Talking"

Chapter 25

Naruto spent the last days before the chuunin exams started training himself and his new apprentice Sakura. Sakura was working on improving her stamina, speed and strength while at the same time trying to get used to handling a sword.

Naruto was improving his skill in using water jutsu as well as learning a new water jutsu. Naruto was also working on his fuinjutsu as he was very interested in learning the jutsu that his father the fourth hokage, had showed him in the fight with the Akatuski members; Hidan and Kakuzu.

Two days before the chuunin exams started Sakura had had a run in with a team from a foreign village. It happened after team 7 had had a team meeting and she and Tayuya had then run into Konohamaru. Konohamaru had asked Tayuya if she hung out with Sakura just to make herself look prettier. After that Sakura had chased Konohamaru in anger until he ran into a blonde girl her age who was far more developed than anyone her age in Konoha.

The blonde girl was Samui who had Yugito and Omoi next to her. Samui had showed Konohamaru Naruto's page in the bingo book with a picture of him and asked if he knew where he was. Konohamaru from just seeing the picture almost pissed his pants and decided to hide behind Sakura who had chased him earlier. Tayuya then question on how Samui knew the shithead and Samui's answer was "I'm going to marry him, we are in love".

Yugito had then interjected and yelled that she was lying and soon enough a cat fight was starting. Thankfully both Sasuke and Omoi with ther combined efforts managed to break them apart before the fight started.

Two days later when the chuunin exams finally begun, it started with a total mess in the classroom where the written test was held. Naruto who had passed out next to the entrance of the academy had been unaware of Kurenai sneaking up on him to his cheek, leaving a kiss mark from the lipstick. That was how Midori and Hanabi found him before they woke him up and dragged him along to the classroom as they were already late.

Before entering the classroom Naruto had summoned Gamakichi and Gamatatsu and given them strict orders to do anything in their power to keep blonde girls from kumo away from him. As they entered Naruto was immediately attacked or more like used as a stepping stone as a girl a few years older than himself had ran on him with the last step planting her shoe in his face.

Naruto got a nosebleed out of that, but not due to the shoe hitting him on the nose, it was because what he saw. The girl was now using chakra to keep herself standing upsidedown on the roof above Naruto, the girl had chest-long raven hair tied up in a pony tail. She wore a small pink kimono that did not cover much, she also wore long purple stockings.

"White panties" Naruto mumbled as he removed the blood from his nose then glanced upwards towards his attacker. What he saw made his blood boil, she had stolen his sword somehow.

"This sword.. is magnificent.." The girl spoke slowly even more slow than Naruto speaks with long breaks between one or two words.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her "Are you looking for a fight, white-pantie-onna?"

The girl jumped down from the roof and stood in front of Naruto facing him "I want.."

"This sword.." she spoke slowly before giving it back to Naruto "I will.. Take it.. In the battlefield"

Naruto noticed something when she stood right in front of him, she had the second weirdest set of eyebrows he had ever seen. Her eyebrows had the shape of lightning bolts which got Naruto thinking.

"Are you from Kumo?" He asked.

The girl shook her head and turned around to get back to her team "We will.. meet.. again.. Senju"

As the girl had joined up with her teammates a boy her age and a hooded figure who also wore pink , the Konoha genins greeted the new arrivals. Just before Ino had the chance to throw herself at Naruto, Ibiki entered the classroom and ordered everyone to shut up and take a seat.

Both Tayuya and Ino had noticed the kissmark next to the foot print on Naruto's face. No one wore that lipstick other than Kurenai.. She had one upped them once again.

Naruto found himself sitting next to Hinata who looked as if she was about to faint just from seeing him. The examiners gave the genins papers with nine hard questions that they needed to answer. Naruto however had trouble just reading the questions and decided that drinking some sake and look out the window would do.

An hour later Ibiki gave the teams that had not been caught cheating a choice to take the tenth question. If you took the question and got it wrong you would never be able to be promoted to chuunin. A lot of the genin teams left after hearing that in fear of being a genin for the rest of their lives. Naruto had no trouble deciding whether or not to take the question as he had fallen asleep.

When Ibiki was satisfied with the amount of teams that had failed already he passed the rest that had stayed for the tenth question. A few seconds later the door opened to the classroom and a beautiful woman with long purple hair wearing Anbu clothes walking in to the classroom up to the front standing above the black board. Yugao was not wearing her Neko mask for once, she was Anko's substitute due to Anko being a sensei of one of the participating teams.

"I'm Uzuki Yugao and I will be in charge of the second exam" She then moved towards the window climbing up on it "Follow me, I promise you a great adventure" she said and jumped out heading towards training grounds 44, The forest of death.

Naruto looked around the classroom and saw what teams had made it through the first exams. All of the rookies from Konoha had made it along with only other team he recognized, the kumo team. Thankfully the kumo team seemed to be focused on the exams and not him as neither Samui or Yugito had bothered him.

The only two other teams that caught Naruto's attention was the only team suna had sent. Both the short red haired guy and the blonde girl with four pigtails had given him different looks. The red haired shorty looked as if he was trying to intimidate him while the blonde girl had stars in her eyes looking at him longingly.

The reason Temari gave Naruto that look was the same reason why Kankuro was currently face palming and muttering 'Why would the bounty hunter be a part of Konoha?'. Temari was a big fan on Senju the bounty hunter, something that Kankuro had heard of many times as Temari would not speak of anything else than his accomplishments.

The last team that caught Naruto's attention was a team from the hidden mist village (Kirigakure) the lightning bolt eyebrows girl's team. Other than her there was a boy with long orange her tied into a ponytail. He had a very slender build making him look a bit feminine. The boy had a cross shaped scar on his left cheek, he wore a red Kimono.

Naruto could easily tell that both him and the lightning bolt eyebrows girl was swordsmen the way they carried themselves. The one sitting next to them wearing a pink hoodie to cover his or her face was the one that Naruto stared at most of the time. He knew who it was and why would she show herself anywhere near him after what happened the last time they met he had no clue.

Joining up with his team again they headed towards training grounds 44 where the second exams was held. When all teams had arrived Yugao held up a picture of Naruto and told them all that he was not trustworthy and would break his promises about taking you on adventures. Yugao then explained the rules of the second exams. All teams were given either a heaven or earth scroll. The objective was to gather both scrolls and then head towards the tower located in the middle of the forest.

The teams was lead to their own gates into the forest and then it started.

Naruto slowly walked into the forest with Midori and Hanabi following him. He felt no need to rush since he knew at least one team was going to target his team.

"Oujo, Imouto I need you two to stay close to me at all times" Naruto said in a serious tone as Midori nodded while Hanabi asked "I have no problem with that, but why?"

"The team from Kirigakure will most likely be after us. I have a feeling that the team from Sunagakure might be after us as well" Naruto explained.

"Why us?" Midori asked looking a bit nervous that the both teams that she wanted to avoid was targeting them.

"Because.." Naruto told them the story of him and Füka and their background. Naruto was sure that the hooded person on the Kiri team was Füka as he had recognized her chakra and seen a bit of red hair. As Naruto and his team moved on deeper into the forest he was more focused than ever on his surroundings. There was no time now for sake, he knew that all three of the kiri ninja's were far above genin level and if it came down to a fight between his team and them he would have to do anything in his power to fight them himself while making sure Midori and Hanabi would not get hurt.

It took an hour of walking before they met with another team. This was a team from The hidden rain village (Amegakure) all three of the team were mails and they all wore similar masks resembling gas masks.

"A rookie team from Konoha, Lucky" One of the Ame genin spoke with his teammates nodding.

"Oujo, Imouto show them what you got. I will back you up if needed" Naruto said with a big grin.

"Tch" Hanabi responded before jumping forward "I will be enough to take on these three losers"

Midori was right behind her focused on the fight as this was a great opportunity for her to show her captain just what she was capable of. She wanted to prove that she was worthy of being his teammate and a future teammate if both of them were to be promoted to chuunins.

Oboro was the Ame genin in the middle who seemed to be the leader of the team. Oboro stepped forward and looked at Naruto "So you are the one that took out Aoi?"

Naruto had his eyes closed with his arms crossed above his chest choosing not to answer because he did not remember anyone named Aoi.

Hanabi had bent down a little placing her right hand forward with her palm open. Her left hand rested on her back as she smirked a little "You haven't fought a Hyüga before I take it, I will show you why we are considered the strongest in Konoha"

"Hakke Rokujūyon Shō" (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) Hanabi began with two consecutive strikes and then followed up with four more consecutive strikes all hitting the tenketsu that Hanabi saw with her Byakügan. When Hanabi reached 64 strikes she was done and the opponent had flew back from the force of all of the damage he had taken.

'The strongest?' Naruto repeated with a twitch in in his eye 'I'll show her whose the strongest'

As Naruto ran up to Hanabi and lifted her above himself with one hand yelling that he was the strongest, Midori took down Kagari and Mubi the two remaining Ame genins with one move. She had first caught them with ninja steel wire and followed up with a light "Katon: Gokakyu No Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) as she did not want to kill her opponents just prevent them from fighting for a while.

"I'm sorry Naruto-sama!" Hanabi cried as Naruto placed his sword at her still being up in the air "Whose the strongest?!"

"You are Naruto-sama!"

"C-calm down taichou" Midori said as she towards her teammates.

Thanks for reading, have you figured out who the three kiri ninja are?