NARUTO

Nox Noctis Ingredior

The Chunin Exams Begin

Midday – Konohagakure Hospital, West Wing

Two days after the Forest of Death battle…

Everything suddenly went quiet following the events of the Forest of Death. Save for the fact that Naruto, Sakura and Hinata were sent to the hospital to be treated for their wounds while leaving the house all to Zabuza and the others, which didn't sit quite well with Naruto as he lay in bed, wrapped in bandages and drinking a glass of milk through a straw. He sat in his bed sulking as the nurse assigned to him and his team checked his temperature, before being left alone with his fellow teammates resting in the beds next to him, also wrapped up in bandages.

"How are the burns, Sakura-chan…? Hinata-chan?" he asked them.

Sakura shrugged. "Can't really complain?"

"M-Most pleasant," Hinata replied, taking a sip from her range juice before smiling over at Naruto. "H-How is your chest, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto patted himself around his left pectoral where he had the four-iron of a katana driven through him about a day ago. Although he had to admit that the blow through the chest was small and the wound started healing itself instantly afterwards thanks to the fox's chakra, it didn't help him much that he had to fight for his life immediately afterwards, which damaged his body even more. Not to mention the lightning current that was poured into the sword and then into him didn't help at all. But now that he was able to rest, his body would be fully recovered at the same time as his teammates would be out of their bandages.

"Well… my chest wound is good, but the Kyuubi is taking its sweet time healing my burns," he exclaimed, before grinning over at his friends. "My skin is still a little tender…"

"Wait… the Kyuubi helps your body heal faster?" Sakura asked curiously, lowering the magazine she was reading about ninja tools concerning brass knuckles and their applications. "I gotta say, for a demon of hatred and anger, it does provide your body with some benefits…"

"Sure hell it does," Naruto replied, smirking and pumping his fist in the air, but winced when his skin under his bandages zapped pain down his shoulders when he moved them too much. "Ow… I feel like I have sunburn. Anyhow… the Kyuubi protects me from a lot of stuff, like healing me almost instantly from minor wounds, all the way through to keeping me alive from poisons that would normally kill ten men…"

"That's pretty cool," Sakura said with a half-smile. "You're pretty lucky to have that ability…"

"Yeah…" Naruto replied with a smile as well. "Perhaps one of the only good things it gives me…"

Sakura smiled and lay back, discarding her magazine to the side and groaning out in boredom. "Damn… another couple of days in here… it's going to be boring as hell…"

"Rest and relaxation is good for the body after exercise Sakura-chan…" Hinata stated, nodding her head to her. "W-We should enjoy ourselves…"

"I guess," Sakura folded her arms, but winced when her own burns pinched at her. "Should have brought a pack of cards though… I'm so tense…"

"A massage then?" Naruto asked, winking at his teammate. "Your arms and legs got most of the burns, but your shoulders are fine. What do you say?"

The pink haired kunoichi's face seemed to light up instantly in delight at that offering, whereas Hinata looked a tad bit jealous.

"Okay!"

A minute later, Sakura was lying flat on her front getting a nice chakra massage from Naruto. The blonde hummed a tune as he rubbed and caressed her around her shoulder blades and the muscles of her upper body, before moving down to engage the middle area. He felt ever little tense and tremor, and not to mention the flawless skin exposed to him. The girl had her shirt taken off and was enjoying a nice bare-back rub, much to both of their delight.

"Ooooh…yeah…" Sakura sighed, an expression of pure bliss written on her face. "That's the stuff…"

Naruto enjoyed himself as much as Sakura enjoyed it. It was only when he noticed the look of disappointment on Hinata's face that he paused for a moment. The girl looked at him with her own Hyuuga version of the 'puppy-dog' look, an irresistible look that had the ability to turn any man's 'no' into a 'yes'. This made the young male Genin crumble like a block of soil.

A second later, Hinata was also lying on her front, blushing like mad as she got a full shoulder and back work over from a Naruto clone. Both Narutos grinned at each other as they worked over their female teammates, and got the reward of some very pleasant comments and sounds.

However, the party would soon come to a grinding halt when a throat being cleared at the doorway caught their attention.

All four of them, including the clone-Naruto, looked towards the doorway to the hospital room to see Anko, Ryoko and the Third Hokage standing there, watching them. While the Third remained passive at the sight, Anko and Ryoko looked a little bit too enthusiastic by the sight of the blonde boy, wearing nothing but his hospital gown giving Sakura and Hinata a back rub.

"Whoa… it's getting a little R-Rated in here," Anko commented, licking her lips. "Anko, likey…"

"It's soft-core, Anko-baka, calm down," Ryoko exclaimed nudging her in the side, while holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolate. "We've only moved into the massage scene. Give it a few minutes and it'll get better."

"Anko-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, while Hinata on the bed to her left from where she lay hid her face in embarrassment. Naruto just plain ignored them and continued doing what he was doing.

"Hey, brats!" Anko said, striding forward with her hands in her pockets. Rubbing the ridge under her nose with her finger, she grinned at them all individually. "Heh… just a couple of days ago I came around looking for my little runts to pick on for the day. When I couldn't find any of you… I eventually learned from Mia that you guys were sent to the hospital due to the training she gave you. I figured maybe I should wait a bit after that before visiting you guys, thought about getting you three presents but… hey… it's just the kind of sensei I am…" She pulled out of her pockets three plushies she made herself, all three of the dolls designed to look like her three students, but frighteningly enough, looked more like voodoo dolls. She tossed them onto each of their beds. "Hope you get better soon. Cause next week is going to be fun!" she joyfully exclaimed.

"Wow… uhh… thanks," Sakura said; looking at the ragdoll she was given with slight distain, but still with a smile visible on her face. Hinata picked hers up rather enthusiastically and looked down at the plushy version of herself with a XD look on her face. Naruto swore he could see hearts floating around his girlfriend's head. Sakura then looked back up at their teacher. "Uhh… what do you mean… next week?"

"More training, Anko-sensei?" Naruto asked, interested. "Could use some more after what we went through…"

Ryoko shook her head as she walked forward, placing the bouquet of flowers on Naruto's empty bed in-between Sakura and Hinata's before, glancing over at him with a grin, making sure she was out of ear shot.

"Hey… can I get one too?" she asked in whisper. Naruto looked at her strangely for a moment, then grinned and winked at her.

"Not exactly… training," Sarutobi began, taking the stage as Anko smiled in her characteristic way in the background. "It has recently been brought to my attention that the three of you have shown extreme talent and potential, as well as remarkable capabilities as shinobi of Konohagakure, on and off the field. The capacity, at which the members of your team work together and in conjuncture with other teams, has shown to be a step up above other recently graduated Genin."

"Wow… praise from Caesar," Naruto exclaimed, earning a giggle from Sakura and Hinata, with Hinata playfully hugging her plushy. Ryoko also chuckled as she stood on the sidelines, arms folded and looking particularly proud of the three of them.

Hiruzen simply pushed that little joke aside and continued on with what he was saying. "Hence, after due consideration and debate amongst the Jonin senseis and your Academy teachers, I have decided to allow you three to participate in the Chunin Exams starting next week."

It was at this news all three of the Genins faces lit up, and Anko became overwhelmed by their reactions in her own, proud way, which sprouted a huge grin on her face.

"Ah-ha! Now there's my team!" she exclaimed, stepping forward and pulling her hands out of her pockets. With her right hand, she withdrew three red envelops, all of them individual passes and registration forms for each of her students. "I knew you guys were looking forward to more of my little challenges. But well… after recent events that have been brought to my attention, I can safely say you three are prepared enough for this gig. Definitely the first stages should be a piece of cake for you… and maybe even the second ones…""

She handed each of them their designated forms and watched as they opened them and read through them. The Third had to smile to himself as he saw the looks on their faces, and the excitement gleaming in their eyes.

"Ahh… to be young," he thought, smiling. "I remember when I was a Genin and had to go through the Exams myself. It was tough… but exhilarating at the same time…"

"So… the exams are next week then?" Naruto exclaimed, grinning up at his sensei from where he sat next to Sakura. "Should be enough time for us to get up to speed; health wise of course."

"There's more, gaki," Ryoko stated, thumping her chest while smirking widely. "I'm proctoring the Third Stage of the exams, if enough of you make it that far…"

"And I'll be holding my end up in the Second Stage," Anko exclaimed, before giving her team a knowing wink. "The Forest of Death…"

"Oh great…" Sakura groaned, with Naruto following suit. "Not that again…"

"Are you going to be hunting all of us down individually and if captured you will torture us or something?" Naruto asked in dread, knowing full well what his sensei's capabilities were. He knew he could take her in a sense of being able to fight one on one with her without any weapons for a long period of time. Of course, the eventual odds stacked against him would make an appearance and he would most likely go down in agony, but he would not go down without a fight. "Last time that happened…"

"Nah… although… that would be fun," Anko replied, wagging her eyebrows. "Maybe next time…"

Both the active members of Team 7 groaned, whereas Hinata whimpered in discomfort to her instructor's words.

Anko pulled up a chair and sat next to Hinata and clone-Naruto, as he was still giving the Hyuuga a god go over on her back. She had to admit, she was a bit envious of the purple haired Genin.

"Remember kids… the Chunin Exams are nothing you've ever faced or experienced before in your life," Anko stated. "It's no game… it's a test. It tests your mind, your body, and your team. It will push you to your breaking points, and let you get a taste of what the world really is like out there."

"W-We'll decide that for ourselves…" Hinata stated, smiling. Naruto grinned at her comment.

"When we take the test and win it," he continued in her stead. Anko grinned at them.

"That's the spirit…"

The Third Hokage smiled and shook his head at the team's antics. He turned on heel and began to leave.

"There are great trials ahead you three. Just remember… that you aren't the only Genin Team participating in these Exams," he informed them, reaching the door and pulling out his pipe from his pocket. "Your comrades from your village will also be joining you, as well as other Genin from foreign nations, who will be doing all in their power to prove themselves for the sake of themselves, their own comrades, and their villages. Remember to distinguish yourselves as Konoha Shinobi; with dignity and respect, staying true to the Will of Fire. It is the will of all the past Hokages…" he turned around, smiling still. "I expect you all to do your best…"

He trailed off when he unexpectedly saw that the unoccupied beds have now been turned into tables at some random massage parlor where, not only were Sakura and Hinata getting a massage, but also a topless Anko and Ryoko. The entire group was too caught up to really notice Hiruzen Sarutobi speaking, and hardly even cared. Naruto and his clones were too busy anyway.

Anko sighed and looked over at Ryoko. "Heaven…"

"Yeah…" Ryoko exclaimed back, grinning. "You know gaki… you should start your own business when you retire…"

"Or… you know… start one now. Open up a parlor in your free time…" Sakura stated.

"I think I'll do that," Naruto replied, smirking.

Hiruzen stared for a moment, and then walked out of the room when he realized nobody was paying attention to him anymore. He sighed and began filling his pipe as he left the hospital. "I've been Hokage too long… no more respect from this generation…" he mumbled, shoving his pipe in his mouth and smirking as old memories came bubbling to the surface. "Reminds me of the time how I treated Hashirama Senju when he was getting old…"


During the week…

As Naruto, Sakura and Hinata continued to recover from their injuries, everybody else was using up all of the time they were given in between the present and the Chunin Exams to get both training in and a good breather. Whatever came their way, the Rookie Nine seized it as an opportunity to train, rest, and learn. Of course, for everybody else outside of the Genin, it was a totally different story.

While they were resting in the hospital, Naruto, Sakura and Hinata did everything they could to use the time they had wisely. While Hinata meditated and focused on controlling her chakra, much like Sakura, Naruto would instead be doing pushups and alike on his bed. Grabbing hold of the bed railing, he would lift himself so that he was hand standing on it, and did pushups that way… one handed. He wanted to increase his strength and chakra capacity before the big day.

When he was not exercising, he was studying alongside Sakura, who knew a heck of a lot more about strategy and mathematics then he did. Even he had to admit he had his limits.

"So umm… you've already explained to me the differences between derivatives and integrals… but…" He gave the diagrams in his lap a quick go over with his pencil. Currently, he was sitting on Sakura's bed with a butt load of scrolls and books, with his pink haired teammate sitting next to him, helping him out with the more difficult questions. Hinata was meditating on the side on her bed; the plushy of Naruto nestled in her lap.

Naruto cleared his throat at looked up at her, a playful grin on his face. "What's the difference between addition and subtraction?"

What he got was a chakra powered slap to the back.

The stinging from his still tender skin shot through him like lightning, with the boy letting out a cry of sheer agony, before beginning to roll around on the bed, with Sakura giving him an evil grin.

"Lesson Number One: Mind over Matter," Sakura replied, checking her fingernails casually. "The very first thing Anko-sensei said to our team before sending snakes after us…Naruto…-kun…" She said the last bit in a teasing voice, but Naruto was too busy writhing in pain to really hear what she had to say.

While things were pretty eventful for Team 7 up in the hospital, Anko was left to take care of Naruto's house while he was away. And by take care of it, as in crash on the couch and leave the lounge room in a big stinking mess. The first night here practically turned into an all night rave as Zabuza, Ryoko, Anko and a visiting Jiraiya played poker, and held drinking games with alcohol taken from Naruto's storage basement. It was after the one night that the entire main living room of the big house ended up looking like a scene from MASH after a party. It was a real mess.

Mia was outside most of the time in the main garden, chasing butterflies like a kitten and sleeping under a tree, while Isaribi and Little Haru played numerous games of how to catch the red haired Sage. It turned into a rather fun game where the playful pair would play hide-and-try-to-catch-Mia-with-a-giant-net day in and day out while she slept. The woman had the habit of disappearing and reappearing here and there, so it became a real test of patience and stealth, even though neither of them were shinobi.

Haku on the other hand took to practicing his ninjutsu and Kekkai Genkai, trying to find way to improve it.

Aside from visiting the hospitalized Team 7 every now again, it was pretty much routine for all of them.

Team 8 with Sasuke, Kiba and Shino was a little bit different for them. The week leading up to the exams was filled with much playing around and walking. Sasuke took it upon himself to brooding as usual, and went around the village looking for no trouble or trouble, whichever one came first to him, and shrugged it off. Kiba on the other hand, unlike his two quiet teammates, used his time to train with his family. His older sister certainly helped him out with that, giving the delinquent boy a better idea of the different types of techniques that both he and his companion Akamaru could use in conjunction with their Clan's trademark beast-derivative-taijutsu styles. The central compound of the Inuzuka clan was particularly lively, when Kiba challenged his sister Hana, but got pretty beaten down in the end.

"Come on, little bro," Hana exclaimed, taking a stance and waiting for her brother to get back to his feet. His clothes were pretty torn up, after tackling her on head to head for the past twenty minutes. It had been quite brutal. "If you want to become a Chunin, then you have to be able to match one. So far… you're making quite a fool of yourself…"

Kiba growled and wiped the blood from his chin. "Don't count me out yet, sis! I'm just getting started!" With a rather animalistic roar, he charged his sister again, hands held out at his sides as he attempted to throw his opponent off by making a zigzag motion, looking for a weak spot.

Meanwhile, Akamaru and Hana's companions, the Three Haimaru Brothers, sat on the sidelines and watched as Kiba lashed out at his sister swiftly, only to have his arm grabbed by her hand and receive two kicks to the face before eventually being kneed in the stomach and winded. The boy hunched over gripping his gut as Hana smiled down at him.

"Don't leave your guard open… and keep attacking even after you're staggered," she said, kneeling down in front of him. She lifted his head up to hers and smirked. "And don't let your face be left unguarded… otherwise…" She raised a finger and flicked him in the nose… hard. The boy fell flat over onto his back, hitting the ground with a loud 'oof' on impact. "You'll be knocked flat on your butt. You may not have a tail, but your nose is important…"

Shino was more relaxed then the others on his team. Instead of walking around or training, he stood around, thinking, and communing with the vast amounts of bug life of the outside world. At some points in the following week, he even paid Naruto and the others a visit, and would sit with them and talk. They appreciated his company, and wished him the best of luck in the exams. Eventually, the boy decided to just go stand under his usual tree for the rest to the day, nodding occasionally to the people passing him by.

Yup. It was a seemingly boring and pointless life…

Asuma, in the time leading up to the exams, was attempting to give his team a rigorous training regime, something different for a chance, helping them to improve their techniques as a group, while getting them to plow through as many D-Rank missions in a day as quickly as possible. He saw that they had great potential in collaboration techniques, and taught them all to better utilize their skills to trap, catch, attack, defend and kill. However, he also tried to work with them individually, but found that a bit more taxing, as Shikamaru would, at more then one point in the day, fall asleep standing up, Choji was not much of a fan for training too hard, and Ino didn't like training at all. But he did manage to get to them when he started using their favorite hobbies, interests and dreads against them.

He got Shikamaru to move by simply getting him to try and make grabs at pillows with his Shadow Possession Technique, which turned into quite a fun day when Asuma played keep away with them and got Shikamaru to stretch further and further, and work hard to get them. He also kept him awake by tossing sneezing powder on his face whenever he dozed off. He got Choji to water walk with a stack of rocks on his back while placing a bag of chips up river as his prize. This definitely got the Akimichi moving. And finally, he got Ino moving when he threatened to cut her hair off if she slacked off, which she cursed at him for even suggesting to do so.

Routinely he would spar with Ino and Choji at once, but Shikamaru wasn't in the mood for it at all.

The latest test had the given two members of Team 10 sparring, with Asuma perched up on a tree smirking while smoking his favorite brand. Kurenai had joined him earlier that day, and both of them were currently enjoying the show of Ino attempting to bring down Choji, who was the stronger of the two.

"Who's your role model?" Kurenai asked, glancing at her boyfriend, missing out on a grapple that Choji successfully used to toss Ino back onto the ground.

"Excuse me?" Asuma glanced over at her.

"Who's your role model?" Kurenai asked, shrugging. "I've never seen your team work this hard before. You must be getting them with some serious, sadistic stuff to get them to move as much as they are…"

"Well… yeah," Asuma shrugged and looked away, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"What did you use? Bees? Wasps? Spiders?" A rather devious grin crossed her face. "Threatened to have them wear Gai's uniform?"

Asuma looked at her strangely for a moment, but then snorted when he actually pictured the sight of his students all dressed up like the most energetic ninja in the entire village.

"I… might have picked up something from someone I may have bumped into down the road from the flower shop…" he stated, rubbing his nose. "But not Gai… that would just be too scary and mean…"

"Who then?" Kurenai pressured him into answering. Asuma cleared his throat and looked away, avoiding eye contact for this one, brief answer.

"Anko…"

"Ha! I knew it!" Kurenai replied, nudging him in the side. "Good on you. You've finally started disciplining them on a satisfactory level. I'm proud of you!"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Kurenai exclaimed, folding her arms. "If I had a team, I would work them to the bone to get the Academy snuff out of the way, and move into the C-Rank stuff as fast as possible. It's something you sometimes have to do as an instructor, as what I was taught. I may still be a young Jonin, but I know what I have to do to get my team in shape and ready for the next mission."

"Hmm…" Asuma thought this through for a moment, looking back down at the spar. Ino was giving Choji a work out himself, throwing various combinations at him, which he took or blocked respectively. Eventually, they got each other in a lock, and attempted to throw the other over. "Instead of just getting them to rely on their brains and teamwork, I may need to coach them a little bit more in strengthening themselves. Surely, Ino needs to eat more. Dieting isn't good when you're a shinobi."

"I agree," Kurenai nodded her head.

"Not to mention Shikamaru who is dreaming away over there," Asuma said, nodding towards a large boulder under a tree, where the Nara boy was snoozing away quietly, not being a bother and no one bothering him in return, save for a butterfly landing on his nose. "He seriously needs to shape up a little bit more. I swear his family is all the same. I found his dad asleep at the table back in the Jonin lounge… eyes open and everything. I was scared for a moment; I thought he was suffering a stroke…"

Kurenai giggled and reached into her pocket, pulling out a lollypop.

"Sounds like they need some training from Gai after all…" Kurenai suggested.

It was then, Asuma had an idea click inside of his head, and he grinned over at his girlfriend. Sucking on her little treat, she looked up at the Jonin, puzzled.

"What?"

"I think I have someone better in mind…"

A few minutes later…

"COME ON! ONE MORE YOU LOUSY TURDS!" Zabuza shouted, watching as Ino, Shikamaru and Choji did pushups… if you could call them pushups. Ino was trying to do them, but her arms shook with every attempted one, Choji was struggling even more, and Shikamaru could barely do anymore. They were in the hundreds when it came to counting anyway, and they were all dead. "ONE MORE! GIVE ME ONE MORE!"

"Geez… no need to yell," Ino muttered. Unfortunately, Zabuza heard this and pushed his foot down on her back, pushing her down. "Aye! What the hell?"

"You want to be smart with me, blondie?" Zabuza asked, leaning over and glaring hard down at her. "Just for that bleach bucket, give me another hundred push ups!"

Ino tried not to complain anymore and started again, slowly but surely, with Zabuza's foot still resting on her upper back.

"Faster! Harder! No… lower, tomato head!" Zabuza shouted at Choji, watching him cheat out on doing a proper push up. He corrected himself out of fear, much to his dismay. Zabuza nodded. "Better! Hey! Pineapple! You're going too low!" Zabuza shouted at Shikamaru, finding him lying flat out on the grass next to him. Taking his foot off of Ino, he walked around and began nudging them boy with his foot. "Come on! I've seen corpses do better pushups then you three! HEY!" he shouted, standing in front of all three of them, arms folded as he glared down at them. "Just for the heck of it, let's do two-hundred more pushups! And while you do them, I want to hear a jolly old sea shanty!"

All three of them stopped in mid pushup.

"Huh?" the whole of Team 10 unintelligently replied.

"I'll start!" Zabuza began, clearing his throat. "Row, row, row yer boat, gently down the stream…"

"Uhhh…" Choji looked over at his teammates, who were also confused. They started doing pushups and together, began singing.

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat, gently up the…"

"NO! YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!" Zabuza shouted.

Asuma and Kurenai were laughing their asses off in the tree above their students, as they were tormented over and over again by the big stranger that they had 'randomly' called out here to help coach them. Asuma's hands were shaking as he tried to light his next cigarette, while Kurenai plain out tried to keep it in by slapping both her hands over her mouth.

"B-FLAT! I SAID B-FLAT!"

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat…"

"NO! THAT'S B-NATURAL!"


A couple days later…

Naruto, Sakura and Hinata were finally let out of the hospital; all three of them stretching out and relieved to finally be able to have a breath of fresh air in over six days. They all basked in the glow of the late morning sun, before they waved goodbye to the hospital staff that saw them out of the building.

"That was actually nice," Sakura exclaimed, rubbing her shoulders. "If not the time we had to rest, but the time we spent together." She walked up to Naruto and wrapped her arms around his. Hinata did the same at the exact same time, wrapping her arms around Naruto as they walked down the path and off of the property. "We should do it again sometime."

Naruto smiled down at her.

"That would be great… but not at the hospital," he replied, as they walked past the gates, glancing back at the building. He cringed a bit at some of the flashes of memory popping up. "I can't stand needles. Plus, it would be extremely unlucky for us if we all got seriously injured and got sent here again, all at the same time. Let's try not to let that happen again…"

"Agreed," Hinata said with an affirmative nod.

"Agreed," Sakura also said, smiling up at the blonde.

Naruto reached into his newly fixed up trench coat's pocket and fumbled around in it for a while, before pulling out the Chunin Exam's registration form. When he did, he took a careful look at it, with Sakura and Hinata also taking a glance down at it. After giving it one more go over, the blonde shrugged and pocketed it.

"Chunin Exams are tomorrow… we should get ready," he said, looking between the two of them. They both nodded to him, and he nodded back. "I need to get my weapons and scrolls back up to speed… come on…"

The three of them then headed back to the mansion. Hopefully the place was still in one piece…


"OH… COME ON!" Naruto shouted in distress, looking at the state of his home's living room, with Ryoko lying in her underwear across the couch, covered in empty chip packets, hamburger rapping's, and her sword propped up next to her. Anko was also here, lying unconscious across the short width of the coffee table. Sakura and Hinata were astounded at the place, looking around the large room.

"Oh my…" Hinata whispered, looking a little bit concerned.

"Jeez… how did this happen?" Sakura asked, before looking up towards the ceiling. She noticed something peculiar dangling from the Chinese candle chandelier hanging high above them. "Hey… how did he get up there?"

Ryoko groaned from a massive hang over and lifted herself up off of the couch, looking around the place when she resumed a proper sitting position. "Man… we really did a number on this place…" She then looked up towards the main building's entrance to see Naruto standing there, looking at the entire room, appalled (N.B: try to imagine Hinata-so from Love Hina, that's basically what the building looks like, not to mention the inside). "Oh… hey Naruto-kun…"

"I can't leave this house alone, can I?" Naruto growled in his loud voice, which was surprisingly unable to get a rouse so far out of the unconscious Anko, who was thankfully, still fully clothed. "Alright! Tenant is home! You!" He pointed at Ryoko, who grinned sheepishly at the state she had made. "Firstly, put some clothes on! Secondly, clean this place up! When I get back, it better be spotless!" He then glanced over at Sakura, still feeling a bit aggravated. "Please check to make sure Anko-sensei is still alive…"

"Sure…" Sakura then quickly jogged across the landfill of a floor space to get to her teacher. Hinata joined her, while Naruto stormed across whatever space was left for him to get to the other side where the staircase was and where the door leading to the basement sat as well.

"I pray to Kami that my basement is at least clean…" he mumbled to himself, forcing the door open and disappearing into the dark caverns.

When he got down there, he found out that it was clean… cleaned out! He gawked in shock when he found out that one of his wine shelves was completely empty of all bottles of wine and sake he had been saving up for special occasions. He frowned and took in a deep breath, choosing not to get too flustered over it and instead, went over to his secret chamber to cool off. Sliding open the entrance to the passageway, he marched on through and immediately got to work setting himself up for tomorrow's main events.

He plowed through his closet, choosing to go with his black and white samurai coat again, with black combat slacks, ANBU wrist and shin guards, and a fishnet top. He undressed himself quickly and got his new set of clothes on, head band and all, with his secret weapons hidden in all the appropriate places.

He decided to test his hidden blades, and flicked out both wrists to his sides, his elongated assassination blades flashing out, spring-loaded, from underneath his sleeves. Making sure they were secure and comfortable, he then went over to his arsenal on the wall and made a selection of weapons to put into his pouch.

Opening it up on the table, he shoved in three supply scrolls, one with extra weapons, one with C-Ration supplies, and one with camping tools. He then loaded up the other compartments of the pouch with standard issue shuriken, kunai, and then the other non-essentials, including arrows for his custom made crossbow, smoke, flash and explosive pellets, large custom, stainless steel ninja stars and kurai, and a pair of trench knives. Seeing that there were enough bladed weapons, he then went about stocking up the bandoleer he wore on his back underneath his trench coat with scrolls of different sorts, and on top of all of his weapons, didn't forget to pack his wallet.

Making sure he had everything right down to his crossbow, he then headed over to the table he had deposited all of his blunt stuff, and began sharpening his kunai, and making new stuff for his shelves.

Time was not gonna be wasted. Not by him…


Meanwhile… Upstairs…

"You know what," Anko said, taking a sip from her cup of tea that Isaribi had served for all the people in the lounge room. With a whopping smile, she looked over at Ryoko. "This has to be the best idea you've ever had…"

"We live in a ninja village… why didn't I think of this sooner?" Ryoko queried, now fully dressed and also drinking tea in a civilized manner. Sighing, she looked around. "Still it could be worse…"

While Anko, Isaribi, Ryoko, Sakura and Hinata sat around the living space, they were accompanied by some rather disgruntled Genin. On their hands and knees and wielding sponges, mops and hot buckets of water, the entirety of Team 8 was hard at work scrubbing the floor, with Asuma Sarutobi and Zabuza Momochi overlooking their progress. Of course, it was Zabuza being the true overseer, not Asuma.

"SCRUB HARDER! I WANT TO SEE MY FACE IN THAT FLOOR! I HAVE A DATE TONIGHT AND I DON'T HAVE A MIRROR!" Zabuza shouted, Shikamaru, Ino and Choji immediately picking up speed with all due haste. Shikamaru was on the floor scrubbing, Ino was mopping, and Choji was grabbing bags of trash and quickly running errands with it from inside the house to the dumpster outside.

Asuma grinned and nudged Zabuza in the side. "Are you sure you're tough enough on them already?"

Zabuza blinked in confusion as to what the man could be insinuating. He then smirked at the bearded Jonin when the idea popped into his head. "Oh… my apologies… I'll fix that right away, Asuma…" He turned back to the trio and, clearing his throat, took in a deep breath of air, then let it loose. "AND I WANT TO HEAR YOU THREE SINGING! SING DAMMIT!"

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat…"

"NO! NO! STOP! YOU'RE BUTCHERING THE CLASSICS! SING THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC BY ABBA, AND SING IT WELL! A-FLAT… AND DON'T OVERCOMPENSATE ON THE CHORUS!"

Sakura held in her laughter, while Hinata just reduced hers to fits of giggles. That didn't stop Anko and Ryoko though, who burst out laughing the moment Shikamaru and his team started singing.

Shikamaru groaned as Ino and Choji sung the chorus and shook his head, wiping his brow. "This is such a drag…"


The next day…

Naruto, Hinata and Sakura marched up the stairs of the building to the third floor where they were told the Chunin Exams would be held. Naruto was in the attire he picked out yesterday, including his straw hat with metal plating on the top, while his two teammates have decided to go for something more daring and different, surprisingly enough. Hinata wore a purple jumper unzipped over a black tube top, and a pair of blue pants and matching sandals, with head band still worn over the usual place. Sakura on the other hand, wore a rather good looking red qipao with pink cherry blossom patterns on it, red sandals with shin guards and black fingerless-fighting gloves. Her brass knuckles were holstered appropriately for easy access.

As they ascended to the second floor and down the halls to the next staircase, they came across a group of students being blocked from a room that was supposedly Room '301', but was easily noticed to be a quick trick. Naruto rolled his eyes as the Genin up front complained to two other 'Genin' blocking the way.

The blonde and his teammates easily recognized them as their favorite West Gate Chunin chums…

"I-Isn't that Izumo-san and Kotetsu-san?" Hinata asked curiously as they stayed back from the crowd so not to draw attention to themselves. Sakura nodded with a half-smile.

"Yup…"

"Man…" Naruto chuckled while folding his arms. "Those are the worst henges I have seen yet! Come on…"

"Should we say hi?" Sakura asked.

"Don't bother, I'm sure someone else will do it for us," Naruto replied, before beginning his march on for the real Chunin Exams room, walking with his head held high, and Sakura and Hinata following after him with smiles on their faces.

When the three members of Team 7 walked by the crowd the trio unintentionally caught the attention of a familiar face. The Genin was trying to get into the room along with the others. But like the crowd, they were failing miserably.

Rock Lee noticed them go by, especially the blonde member of the group. Ecstatic, he instead focused attention on his team instead of the door, and broke through the crowd after them.

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto stopped in his tracks, blinking repeatedly when he recognized the voice.

"Oh no…" he turned around, and was greeted by a flash of green and a glint from a wide grin. The blonde smiled back at his fuzzy browed friend and held a fist out to him. "Hey Rock Lee… how's it going?"

"Oh, the flames of youth are burning brightly for me today, my friend!" Rock Lee replied, bumping fists with Naruto, before withdrawing his own and holding it up to him. "They are burning brightly for you too I see!"

"Are they?" Naruto looked down at himself momentarily, before smirking and looking back up at Lee. "I think I look good in white. What do you think?" He held up an edge of his trench coat, flashing the black underneath it, "A blank canvas… a clean slate… great for hiding in plain sight. You can put anything you want on it."

Lee nodded his head. "I agree! It's pure and peaceful! But green is lively, and invokes youth, hope and love! But whatever my dear friend Naruto decides to where, he is always a glowing pillar of strength!" Lee exclaimed this while posing rather humorously. Hinata giggled at his antics, while Sakura just shook her head with a smile, taking in similarities between him and some of Naruto's more open moments. Since the battle with their fears in the Forest of Death, Naruto has become more open with them. The green boy in front of them continued his rant.

"I have another youth suit if you want one, Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed, reaching behind him and unfurling the God awful spandex wear Naruto has been dreading. All three of them leaned backwards at the sight of it, literally. Lee stepped forward, holding it right in front of them as the three of them, with rather disturbed expressions, leant back so that they were literally horizontal to the floor. "As Gai-sensei says, the fibers allow excellent breathing of the body, and the soul is set free with the snugness and comfort! You must try it on!"

"I…I… Lee… really…I… well…" Naruto hesitated and straightened back up, along with his teammates. "I can't… I just… okay…" He took it deftly from Lee when he placed it in his arms, and Naruto looked down at it strangely. He swore, his face was turning green as he held it, and tested its weight and the feel for himself. He was actually surprised at how warm it felt. "Wow… it's not that bad."

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata tapped her friend's shoulder, capturing his attention and giggling in delight. "Y-You would like to wear…Lee-kun's suit?"

"Actually… I uhh…" Naruto folded it up and slipped it into the inside pocket of his coat. He grinned sheepishly at Hinata. "I'll get back to you on that…"

"It is the most youthful of clothing! You can feel the fires of youth burning between the threads!" Lee exclaimed, before unexpectedly holding up two more suits. "I must spread the Will of Fire in these suits, just like how my master spreads his youth to others. Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan… you must try on these suits!"

Sakura turned pale, and Hinata hesitated as she looked upon the suits.

"No way…" Sakura replied.

"I…Uhh…" Hinata mumbled, fidgeting nervously.

"I understand! You two are overwhelmed by the clothing's sheer beauty and absolute simplicity! But not to worry…" He held onto Sakura's, while Hinata took her's rather hesitantly. She held it between her fingers, and was pleasantly surprised by how soft the material it was. "When you are ready to accept the flames of youth my Sakura-chan…I will provide you with the suit when required!"

"Sure… right," Sakura replied, a huge sweat drop forming on her head animatedly as she stared oddly at her overly enthusiastic friend. "I will come see you when my spirit needs lifting and I need more…uhh… youth… Lee…" She forced the last bit out, not wanting to deter the boy.

"EXCELLENT!"

"Geez Lee, can you be any louder," a second, female voice sounded behind the overly energetic Genin, alerting Naruto and his team to the presence of the rest of Rock Lee's team approaching them. When they all turned towards the crowd, they saw a girl with brown hair in buns and wearing a combination pink and green martial arts outfit, accompanied by a beige looking boy with long brown hair and glassy eyes, approaching them. Hinata immediately recognized one of the members and, though a bit nerve rattled at the sight of him, bravely held her ground.

The pair stopped, flanking Lee, with Naruto and his team smiling at the newcomers.

"Hey Lee," Naruto exclaimed, gesturing with his hand towards the two Genin, who were but a year older then himself. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh, I am so sorry, Naruto-kun!" Lee jump started, hopping to the side and beginning introductions in a very theatrical, Rock Lee way. "These are my most energetic and youthful teammates! This here is my lovely friend and sparring partner, Tenten," Lee first introduced the girl, who smiled and waved at the Team, while drinking in Naruto standing in front of her, and reciprocating a rather warm smile from him. Lee then gestured to the other, more stoic member of his team. "And this is my eternal rival, Neji Hyuuga!"

"I believe we haven't met before," Neji said, stepping forward and holding his hand out to Naruto. The blonde returned with a noble and respectable handshake, and a friendly nod. "And… you are…?"

"Well, as Lee put it so delicately for you, I am Naruto… Naruto Uzumaki," the blonde replied, before gesturing to his teammates. "And these are my lovely teammates and closest of friends, Sakura Haruno… and Hinata Hyuuga…" The two girls waved in response to their introductions.

Neji nodded to Sakura, but gave a rather displeasing look towards Hinata, who glared back at him, albeit a few beads of sweat. The brown haired Hyuuga returned focus on Naruto, not wanting to deal with his cousin at the moment.

"You may want to consider associating with more respectable and distinguished comrades," Neji stated. "Unfortunately, there are particular shinobi who do not do their clans proud, and are considered weak and undeserving of their titles."

Naruto smirked, folding his arms at the older boy. "If you are insinuating that my team members are unworthy to be in your presence my friend, then you are seriously underestimating them." Naruto glanced over at Hinata, then back at Neji, smiling all the while. "Trust me when I say this… there is no one else I would want watching my back and my front then Hinata Hyuuga…" he paused to deliver more of an impact in his statement, "and Sakura Haruno. We are a team… and that's all that counts…"

Neji furrowed his brow, before looking over at Hinata, who, given a boost in her confidence by her teammate, stepped forward to confront her cousin on her own merit. Lee, Sakura and Tenten watched the conflict of words from the sidelines, all of them a little bit uneasy, but nonetheless, impressed by the confrontation. The Hyuuga boy raised an eyebrow before smirking at Naruto.

"We'll see…" he replied. "Perhaps we may have the honor of fighting each other sometime in the foreseeable future. If your words are of any influence, then we shall see who destiny favors the most…"

Naruto smirked. "Looking forward to it…" He then turned to the other, almost forgotten members of the team standing out of the light in this face-to-face showdown. Stepping forward, he held a hand out to Tenten. "I don't think I have seen you before. So far, Lee has been the only member of your team I have come to know quite well…" He shook hands with Tenten, who became a little bit uncomfortable, in a good way, under the blonde's gaze. "Tenten… was it?"

"Yeah," the brown haired girl replied, showing off a bit of spunk that Naruto smiled at. "I don't go as far outside of the training fields as my other teammates, but I have my moments up and around the village."

"I see…" Naruto said, still holding her hand firmly, yet gently. He glanced down at her grip, before smiling up at her after a quick breakdown of her hand. "A person can tell a lot about another from a mere handshake…"

"Really? What makes you say that, all of a sudden?" Tenten asked with a grin.

"Well, judging from the grooves in your hand and recently healed cuts, I'd have to venture a guess that you are a shuriken jutsu user and a weapons specialist…" He exclaimed, before nodding over to Neji, who watched them carefully and analytically. "Your Hyuuga friend has more of a light touch, yet are still considerably firm from years of practice; hands that belong to a style of Gentle Fist… while you. Your hands have grace… excellent friction… ideal for kunai and shuriken."

"My… how perceptive," Tenten replied, before asking her own question based on the information she picked up from the young man's hand. "A fellow taijutsu specialist?"

"Not a master… but I am quite proficient," Naruto replied, glancing over at his team and grinning. The two girls nodded back with equal looks of pride and confidence on their faces. "My team mostly specializes in taijutsu and close combat. We should get together some time and compare notes…"

"Of course…" Tenten replied, lowering her hand from his before nodding towards his right arm. "You may want to tighten the slack on your hidden blade. Wouldn't want that coming loose…"

"So you noticed," Naruto stepped back, adjusting his sleeves and smiling at her. "I look forward to a fight with the three of you. It should be interesting. But for now, we're heading up to the third floor to participate in the Chunin Exams. Don't want to be late." He fell back into formation with his teammates, who received the nods of understanding from the other three.

"We'll see you up there," Neji said.

"A most youthful declaration of friendship between comrades of the same leaf!" Lee exclaimed, holding a fist up and jabbing it in the air. "Another time, Naruto-kun, my other, eternal rival!"

Naruto saluted, and the girls waved before they all parted, not wanting to water down on the departure by awkwardly going in the same direction. Ultimately, the two teams split, wanting to take their own routes of getting to the actual room.

It was while they were finding the next flight of stairs Sakura glanced over at Hinata, who was looking more relieved then usual.

"Something wrong, Hinata?" Sakura asked. The Hyuuga girl looked over at her friend and smiled at her.

"N-No… nothing is wrong. I am fine," she replied, rather quickly.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at her, a little bit more suspicious now from her stammering reply. "It's that Neji guy isn't it?" Her teammate looked away, almost out of shame. "You're… afraid of him? What is he, like... your brother? Your cousin?"

Hinata nodded on the last part. Sakura Haruno blinked.

"Honestly I'm a bit surprised. But really…I shouldn't be. You two look almost exactly alike…" Sakura thought back to the guy's face, as the three of them began ascending stairs a little ways down the hall. "It's the eyes… the symbolic eyes of the Hyuuga Clan."

"The Byakugan," Naruto said, looking back at Sakura and Hinata, briefly stopping on the stairs, so he could speak with his teammates on the same level. "The most powerful eyes in the village… or… were, not since after we found the Rinnegan. But… so far, they are the largest and most distinguished clan in the village next to the Sarutobi clan and Inuzuka Clan." He looked at Hinata, who sort of shrunk a bit when his eyes turned to her. "You shouldn't have any reason to fear him, Hinata. You are stronger then him… I can tell…"

Hinata's ears and head perked up to his statement, and accompanying the blush on her face, her words came out, stammering.

"R-Really… Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smiled and took both her hands, holding them in his own.

"You have worked extremely hard to get where you are… harder then anyone else I have ever seen from your entire clan or from our year…" Naruto smiled and nodded to her sincerely. He looked at her hands, feeling the smooth texture, and the rough areas where old scars from her vigorous training have healed. This made his smile widen. "I have absolute faith in you that you can beat him if you should fight him."

Hinata, in a sort of state of shock, nodded. She became a bit more shocked when Naruto kissed, her, but she returned it willingly and enthusiastically. Sakura smiled at them, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Come on you two…" the pink haired girl exclaimed, grabbing both Naruto and Hinata by the hands and pulling them up. The grin she gave them was one that could spark great courage in any person. "We have an exam to take!"

With all due haste the three sole members of Team 7 quickly headed up to the designated room. As it turns out, it was easier to find then most others, since the door literally sat at the end of a long hallway. It liberally screamed at you; 'Right through here are the Chunin Exams; please leave your cheat sheets behind and all non-essential valuables. P.S Forget the first thing, feel free to bring in as many cheat sheets as you want, it's not like anyone is going to notice.' Of course, it wasn't a pretty good idea to sneak in a bunch of valuables, since the room would technically be filled with ninja, people who would gladly pick-pocket you for a laugh.

Not finding anymore obstacles or any one for that matter standing in their way, the three of them entered the room.

Pushing open the doors, the members of Team 7 braced themselves for what was beyond them…

TO BE CONTINUED…