The temple was silent. The only sound heard was the synchronized breathing of its inhabitants. Kagome loved going to the temple in the early hours of the day. Each dawn brought a new palate of colors and song of nature. The environment was one of total peace compared to the bustling Shinobi life outside their walls. The shrine always had a tranquil feel, with its expansive gardens and ancient architecture. There was even a river flowing through the very back of the compound.

The young girl needed peace before her and her teammates began their trek to the Land of Wind for the Chunin Exams.

Midoriko-sama, are we prepared for this? Thinking back she felt as if just the other day she graduated from the Academy.

Her feet hit the dark wooden floors as she scurried around her room readying her bags for the exams. She found herself grabbing the bentos her grandmother prepared and knocking on Miroku's door.

"Ohayo, I'll meet you at the gates nii-san." She heard some fumbling and curse words before she headed out. Miroku never was a morning person, without her he probably would've have been late to class everyday.

Kagome walked through the village taking in all the normal sights and sound of the market. Tomatoes, persimmons, rice, leeks, books, newspapers, and many other goods of Konohagakure were being bought, sold, or traded.

The miko met up with her pale haired teammate who was already sitting on one of the benches.

"Ohayo, Hakudoshi-kun!"

"Ohayo."

Moments later, Koga and Miroku sprinted toward them.

"Kagome-Chan!" Sango and her team strolled down the path waving towards her team. The Taijiya girl wore an all-black one peice with a loose peach colored skirt. Her summon, Kirara napped on her shoulder. She glanced over the rest of the team. Their instructor Kagura wore a simple floral-patterned kimono and waved a fan around. Her old academy friend Hojo, wore plain black outfit with his weapons pouch on his left leg. Next was Byakuya, a shinobi she had seldom interacted with before, had jet-black hair that was secured by a high pony tail. He had on navy blue cargo pants, a light blue shirt paired with yellow and blue vest.

"Now we're just waiting on Bankotsu."

Kagura rolled her eyes, fanning herself. The woman was something of a curiosity to Kagome. She acted crudely and unrestrained with everyone, but she had an air of concern for her team. Plus, her fan signified the fact she had probably mastered the wind style, a rare chakra nature in the Land of Fire.

Bankotsu strolled toward them almost a half hour later. He spun his halberd around lazily before glancing at everyone. Kagome twitched, vexed by his tardiness. With a quick strike she hit her sensei in the back of the head. He didn't even try to duck out of it before leading the way out.

"Well if it isn't Ginta and Hakkuku." The jonin greeted. One had spiky blonde hair with his head band around his neck. The other had grey hair with a tuft of black at the front of his head. Both sported the standard chunin outfit.

The gate keepers greeted him back and wished them luck on their exams.

The journey to Suna was a quick one. Everyone kept their hurried pace in anticipation of the exams.

Kagura's team split off to check into an inn and study some before the written exam and get some rest.

Everyone entered the room and found the seat with their name on it. The walls were bleak and the room sweltering.

Kagome settled into the metal seat, before glancing around. Hakudoshi sat a few spaces to her right and the rest of the Leaf nin were scattered throughout. In between them were Shinobi from many of the hidden villages.

"There are 100 questions on this exam. They will test your knowledge of ninjustu, taijutsu, genjutsu, ranging from basic to advanced techniques along with many other skills required of a chunin. If any of the proctors catch you cheating your entire team will forfeit. If you leave voluntarily there will be no consequences. To move into the next round, you must receive a 95 or higher. The time limit is four hours. Have no doubts, for any decision you make could be the difference between life and death. I wish all of you the best of luck. Begin."

An enemy shinobi is 20 meters in front and 12 meters above you. At what angle and speed do you need to throw a standard kunai to hit their heart?

What are the hand signs for the wind blade jutsu?

How many chakra points are in the body?

What event started the Third Shinobi War?

Come on Kagome, think!

The young girl knew almost all of the answers, aside from the mathematic ones, which she copied from some shinobi next to or in front of her.

"Time is up!" The proctor commanded as his fist hit the desk in the front of the room.

"Everyone, leave your papers at your desk. We will post the names of everyone who passes tomorrow at 6 am. The next round will begin at 8 am."

Another hour ticked by on the clock. Kagome looked at the white circle on the wall. Three AM. The results of the first exam would be posted in three hours and the next round in five hours if she made it. She got out of bed and padded toward the window. With a quick thrust the girl slid the window open and took a seat on the stucco roof. The moon shone bright and full, with a backdrop of constellations. Her grandfather taught her the names and the legends, not that she believed him, but the history was something that he seemed to love. She gave a soft smile thinking back to the memories of her family.

Across the way, on a sandy building she spotted another shinobi. His silver hair wavered gracefully under the moon. He had a crescent moon on his headband and red claw markings on his cheeks. His sharp jawline and golden eyes caught her attention. There was so much experience in them, pain, hatred, sorrow, even a bit of joy, despite how young he looked.

How beautiful.

As Kagome was gazing at him, she realized he'd flashed away. She was brought out of her daze when the man appeared a few feet in front of her.

"Gomen. I couldn't sleep and was looking at the sky." She scooted back.

"You must be wondering what this one is doing up at this hour."

"Hai, it's late. Are you participating in the chunin exams?"

He gave her a small chuckle, before his face went back to an emotionless slate. She almost wondered if the night was playing tricks on her.

"No, my students are." He looked back up toward the moon, his eyes gazing peacefully. He looked younger than Bankotsu but held an air of refinement and knowledge.

Xxx

"Kagome!" The pounding on the door kept up until she jumped out of bed to open the door. Koga smiled, "you passed sleepy head! We all did!"

"Eh, what time is it?"

The clock on the night stand read 7 am. She shoved the Yōrō boy out of her room and started changing into her shinobi attire, a sleeveless white top with and a crimson skirt with a slit on the right and black shorts underneath. She yanked on her knee-high socks and shinobi sandals before running out the door.

When did I fall asleep? The last thing I remember…

"I see. So, you are a jonin from getsugakure then?"

"This one is." The conversation paused as they looked toward the stars.

"I'm Kagome."

"Sesshomaru."

A light pink flushed her cheeks as she realized that she fell asleep on the roof in the presence of a complete stranger. She could see why her obaa-San constantly worried about her wellbeing.

The raven-haired girl slammed open the door to her room, she grabbed Hakudoshi and Koga and dragged them to the arena. Once they reached their destination, she realized there were only 23 nin that passed the written exam. Twenty-three shinobi our of at least 100? Those odds didn't seem too great.

The young genin listened as the proctor explained the rules for the practical exam. "Today's exam will be an escort mission. You must guard a "civilian" and escort them to their destination unharmed as quickly as possible. In addition to the other teams, there will be natural obstacles and hidden traps to hinder your mission. The first four teams or individuals to complete this mission will advance to the finals." The man's black hair waved in the wind.

After each team was given their civilian, they were assigned a starting area. Kagome gave a sidelong glance to Miroku, who chose to enter the exam himself. He and his summon looked rather lonely as they left to their starting area.

"Hi, I'm Kagome and this is my team, Koga and Hakudoshi!" The young girl introduced with a small smile.

"Konnichiwa, I'm Ichiro. I'm actually a chunin in Suna, but please do your best to protect me!" He gave the girl a wink before kissing her hand.

The small gesture didn't go unnoticed by Koga as he gave him a swift punching on his bowed head.

"He said unharmed, baka!" Hakudoshi kicked the Yoro boy in the shin before giving their client an apologetic glance.

"Begin." Their proctor said, moving out of their way.

The trio and their client started toward the end point. It was an old, wooden structure in the middle of the desert.

"My guess is that there will be a lot of quicksand, maybe paper bomb mine fields or genjutsu areas. I think we should split into two groups. One person goes ahead and the rest of the group stays back in case of an ambush or a trap."

The boys agreed with Kagome's suggestion. Koga took the lead and Kagome and Hakudoshi stayed back to guard their client. They made it through the dunes relatively quickly but had no clue if any other teams had already finished.

"Koga, I sense another group ahead be careful." She locker onto four chakra signatures directly in front. They would lose time by going around them. Kagome was confident they'd be the stronger team.

"We'll have to engage them." Hakudoshi sighed.

"Summoning jutsu." Koga whispered as he bit his finger enough to bleed. A wolf appeared next to the group already snarling.

The team members nodded to each other, going with their usual formation for an escort mission. Koga and Hakudoshi on the frontlines and Kagome analyzing the battle and protecting the client.

They dispatched the other team with relative ease and headed onward to the end.