"We are just thinning out the ones that will fail anyway, what's wrong with that?"

Sakura frowned. What was it with testosterone that made guys think they had a right to decide for other people?

"I agree… But…"

Sasuke stepped up,

"You WILL let me pass through… and also remove this surrounding you've covered in genjutsu. I'm going to the third floor"

Whispers spread through the hall many in ignorance and sakura wondered if there really was anything to be worried about.

"So you noticed.."

And Sasuke gave that smirk that she wished he would direct at her at least once.

"Sakura you must have noticed it first right?"

Sakura blushed, He had been abnormally harsh with her the other day but after that he had been gentler and she wondered if it had something to do with the dazed look Naruto had on his face,

"Of course! After all it doesn't take a genius to realize that this is only the second floor"

She smiled. Sure she wasn't as strong as the guys but she wasn't useless. The guy blocking the door smiled,

"Well that's pretty good, but the only thing you did was SEE THROUGH IT!"

The guy swung his leg and Sasuke raised his own to counter but before they collided a flash of green appeared between them and grabbed both their legs halting their movement.

Sakura's mouth fell, This guy was fast! Not only that he was strong!

"Hey what happened to the plan?"

A pale eyed guy said and Sakura wondered if they were on the same team, but the green clad, bowl cut stranger seemed to meet her eyes and walked toward her,

"My name is Rock Lee, and you must be Sakura."

She didn't understand why he had introduced himself...at all. Even with all her analytical ability it was as if something was preventing her brain from coming to a plausible conclusion.

"LET'S GO OUT TOGETHER! I'LL PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE!"

"No...way...you're lame…"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sasuke turned to see Naruto buckled over with laughter his dilated eyes returning to normal and he felt a bit of relief,

"NARUTO! DO NOT LAUGH! HOW DARE YOU HIDE SUCH A TREASURE AS SAKURA AND NOT TELL ME!?"

Naruto tried to take coming breaths but he was suffocating on his own breath,

"Probably for the same reason i wouldn't"

The pale eyed boy walked closer,

"It's a nuisance"

Sasuke got closer to his team as Sakura asked the same question he had,

"You know them?"

Naruto turned to them finally back to the normal Naruto,

"Haha… Yea...that Guy i tell you guys always tries to compete with me is their teacher."

Sasuke jumped, Kakashi's rival?

"I see Lee a lot when i bump into him."

A scoff was heard,

"Naruto are you not going to introduce us to your team?"

Naruto smiled,

"Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and you met Lee. This grouch is Neji Hyuga; i know his dad and so i've met him on occasion though the girl…"

"Tenten"

The girl smiled as she gave Sakura a hard look. Sakura backed away,

"I see… well it was nice meeting you...NARUTO, SASUKE LET'S GO!"

And off Sakura ran dragging her teammates along. Lee watched them run down the hall as Tenten called out to him,

"Lee, let's go"

But Rock Lee frowned,

"You guys go ahead, there's something i'd like to test"

And that's how they ended up in a room with Lee and Sasuke facing off,

"Sasuke don't! We only have 30 minutes to get to the meeting!"

But Sasuke wasn't listening and ran forward,

"I only need five"

"...Yea right"

Sakura almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to see Naruto beside her,

"This is probably the worst match up ever"

Sakura was confused,

"Why do you say that?"

"Well from what i know about Lee, currently he is probably the strongest Genin"

And in the instant Sasuke seemed to charge he was thrown back to the ground,

"WHAT!"

But Naruto smiled as he watched his green clad friend. He had bumped into the kid often and liked his spirit, it was refreshing and though a bit old school he enjoyed the kids preserveness.

Sasuke didn't stay down and rose up.

"The sharingan!"

Sakura said with a smile but Naruto frowned,

"Fat lot it will do"

Sakura was getting upset with Naruto, usual he was so optimistic and rooting for them and now…

"Sasuke can win! Believe in him!"

Naruto looked taken back but then smiled,

"It's not that i don't believe in him rather… this is just the worst match up right now.."

Sakura still didn't understand,

"With Sasuke's sharingan he can now see Lee's moves!"

Naruto nodded resting his hands behind his head,

"Yea and that's cool and all but Sasuke activated it probably cause he thinks bushy brows is using some ninjutsu or something…"

"Eh.. he isn't?"

Naruto frowned,

"No… Lee only uses taijutsu and though it's great that sasuke can see it…"

Sakura looked up in time to see Lee floating behind Sasuke saying something she couldn't hear, but she now knew why sasuke couldn't win,

Even if he could see it there was no way he would be fast enough to react to it!

Naruto frowned though as he watched Lee undo the bandage,

Would he really use that move!?

But before he could move a shuriken flashed catching the bandaged and stopping his movements. Lee was pulled back and sasuke fell heavily out of the sky thankfully to be caught by Sakura.

The next few moments were ones that Sakura wished she could block out of her mind. She would never discredit Naruto for being late if it was because of this guy.

HE WAS TOO WEIRD!

Sure he was clearly strong but still it was weird! Why did he come with a turtle!? What's with the poses!? WHY WERE HIS EYEBROWS SO THICK!?

When he left Sakura was still trying to wrap her brain around what just happened.

"Sasuke i'll say one thing though, i did come here to test my abilities."

Lee said making Sasuke frowned,

"But i will admit, most likely the strongest leaf genin is not me but on my team. I've entered this in order to defeat him. And you're also one of my targets."

And with that Lee jumped up into the rafters,

"BE PREPARED DURING THE EXAM!"

And then he was gone. Sasuke was beyond frustrated and Sakura could see it in the way his fist shook,

"Sasu-"

"Oh well. I guess the Uchihas aren't worth much now a days"

"NARUTO!"

Sasuke scowled,

"Tch, just...shut up. Next time i'll beat him"

Naruto looked at him mockingly,

"Sure ya will, after you get yer arse wiped,"

"HEY! NARUTO DON'T!"

Sakura didn't know what was wrong with Naruto and even Sasuke wondered if his cynical attitude had to do with what he was hiding,

"You saw his hand right?"

And Sasuke had, the scars and bruises,

"That bushy brows must have trained really hard ya know"

And then Sasuke felt it in those blue eyes. Naruto was questioning him, his resolve; testing him. Naruto was reading his heart like he did so often. Sasuke was frustrated and mad. He was comparing himself like so many people did with him. Lee was stronger but why wasn't he? feeling thirsty for more power, more like his brother, like shuhei, like…

But Naruto was didn't care about that. Naruto was testing whether he would stand up out of this defeat. If that Lee guy pushed himself that hard to be that strong, would he?

Sasuke's fist stopped shaking and he clenched it,

Sounds fun….

"This thing is getting fun, this chunin exam…"

He said and both Sakura and Naruto smiled as their normal cocky teammate returned,

"Ready to go!? Naruto, Sakura!"

Naruto smiled brightly and Sakura pumped her fist

"HELL YEAH!"

Yea so like I said I totally skipped some parts. I took the parts I like and decided if the scene was something I wanted. One of the things that makes Naruto so great is the multiple characters and personalities. I have a bad habit of gaining tunnel vision in my writing and I definitely didn't want to lose this aspect. Of course there are other scenes I could have chosen but due to my own recreation of the characters some scenes are just to applicable to the story line... sorry am I getting to technical? anyway I just want to follow up on that thought.