The next few weeks passed by in a blur of non-stop training. Between Kakashi's own personal training, which was a combo of chakra control, speed, and stamina training, each member found the time to train on their own and together.

Sasuke was focused on perfecting his new lightning jutsu, with the help of Kakashi. Having a similar chakra nature helped immensely, allowing Kakashi to give Sasuke very helpful pointers when it came to channeling the electrifying chakra. On top of learning ninjutsu, Kakashi gave him the idea of using the jutsu in tandem with a blade.

Although using weapons wasn't his specialty, he still knew enough to get by. With a promise to set him up with an actual weapons expert after the exams, Kakashi began to teach Sasuke how to use a katana. The boy got the hang of it rather quickly, though he was still having issues with maneuvering around while using the blade.

Kakashi even went with him to a special weapons shop, where they purchased a blade that had been specially made to channel chakra through. The blade was a glinting silver, that glowed slightly purple when used with his chakra. The handle was covered in a black, rough fabric with a Uchiha charm hanging by a string on the bottom.

Sasuke had been surprised when Kakashi himself had bought the sword for him, who in turn told him that it was only because he expected Sasuke to put it to good use.

The unspoken words were that Kakashi expected Sasuke to pay him back in the future.

Although those two weeks weren't enough time to drastically increase his power, the changes were obvious.

Sasuke even had time to practice the use of his sharingan, though he had decided he didn't want to rely on it too much. He wouldn't use it as a crutch, it's what people expected of him.

He didn't need those eyes to be strong, he knew that now. A few weeks of training with his team had taught him that there was so much more that he could learn.

His abilities didn't rely on that power, and it never would.

Naruto's training was a bit different. Sakura had given him a jutsu to learn, one that matched with his chakra nature. Learning it turned out to be one of the hardest things he's set his mind to.

Fūton: Reppūshō allowed him to create a powerful gale for offensive purposes, but it also allowed him to increase his speed by channeling the jutsu through himself. That had been the reason Sakura gave him the scroll. Giving him speed allowed him to move around his opponent quicker, and when supplemented with a large amount of clones, he would basically be unhittable if he was quick enough and used clones in order to dodge blows and confuse the enemy.

Then Kakashi came and offered to teach him something that would make his speed increase immensely.

Using Shunshin no Jutsu would give him an advantage in certain battles, but more importantly it would give him an advantage in the Chunin exams. While it wasn't a difficult jutsu to master, it did take a ton of training in order to move with precision and not accidentally impale yourself on objects or your opponents weapons.

By the time the two weeks were up, Naruto had not only perfected the wind release jutsu, he had mastered the Shunshin no Jutsu.

His strength had greatly increased as well, as Kakashi had him practice the body flicker technique on him during taijutsu spars. He was also pitted against Sasuke, who had been focused on increasing his speed.

Sasuke had been surprised the first time he flickered out of view and appeared next to him, weapon raised. It had led to Naruto beating him in the first spar as Sasuke got used to Naruto suddenly being faster.

It taught him to be on guard at all times during battle, as stronger opponents wouldn't be predictable in their movements.

Naruto was proud to say his chakra control had increased as well, as using wind release forced him to control how much wind he produced. Without the necessary control, he could accidentally destroy a good chunk of the village with the power behind the jutsu.

Or at least that's what Kakashi said. He still wasn't sure whether it was a joke or not.

Sakura had changed the most.

She worked day in and day out in order to catch up to the boys, forgoing the silly diet she had and shoving down any shame she might have for not looking her best in front of Sasuke.

Kakashi had paid special attention to her training, spending all his free time with her in order to push her to her limits every day. She was unable to focus on anything for too long, as all of her abilities needed to be increased.

Although Kakashi still made sure she found time to learn a few jutsu.

The first was the one she had read about prior to beginning their training sessions.

Iwa no Yoroi.

Kakashi had been thrilled to find that the jutsu she had chosen was one he already knew, and walked her through the process. Although it wasn't his nature, he knew enough to help her through the basics of her jutsu. The actual execution of it was shaky and she was only able to hold it for a few moments.

Kakashi saw that as a positive however. He told her that with time, she'd be able to use it longer. Their daily team sessions were already expanding her control and reserves, and although she wouldn't be able to use it frequently during the exams, she would have it if she needed an edge against an opponent.

The other jutsu was one that she had been wanting to try since Kakashi cast it on her during their survival test.

Kakashi allowed her to use him as a test subject, although he subjected her to several genjutsu and forced her to pick out each flaw and difference in the ones she was put under. He needed her to see exactly how to craft a jutsu and how one tiny mistake could alert the target.

The Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu was one of the most exciting things she's ever learned. The mind was a curious thing, and Sakura found herself devouring books about genjutsu and the brain late at night after training. She was determined to learn everything she was able to about the skill, and had already found several more that she planned on learning once the Chunin exams were over.

Kakashi had even told her that once she was proficient enough with the casting, and with enough knowledge of the mind, she would be able to craft her own genjutsu to use.

Besides those two abilities, Sakura had focused heavily on her strength and stamina. When she wasn't with Kakashi, who would spar her into the ground, she was with Naruto fighting his shadow clones.

Sasuke himself influenced her training by working on her taijutsu with her in their free time. Kakashi allowed Sasuke to be the one to correct her stances and movements, in order to help him spot weak points during battle, only giving tips if Sasuke had missed something.

Before she knew it, their training period had ended and it was time for the Chunin exams.

The morning of the Chunin exams found Team 7 huddled together at a small tea shop. They had decided to meet in order to discuss the exams, having already eaten breakfast separately.

All three were dressed in their new outfits, with minimal changes. Sasuke had added a scabbard to hold his katana, while Sakura had neatly braided her hair and placed her forehead protector across her forehead. Narutos outfit hadn't changed since it was bought, although he looked out of place not wearing his typical orange jumpsuit.

"I did some research last night," Sakura commented in between sips of her tea, "But there was barely any information on it."

"They probably keep it a secret to psyche everyone out." Sasuke said, staring down at the plate of dango in front of Naruto in barely concealed disgust. He really did not understand how the boy could eat that so early in the morning.

"I imagine there will be at least one knowledge test, and obviously a part where they test our abilities." Sakura asserted with little hesitation. The lack of information on the exams bugged her, she preferred being completely prepared for a situation like this. Not knowing what exactly to prepare for had been troubling, but she had given both boys a list a few days ago of what they needed to pack.

"As long as there isn't a written test, I've got this in the bag." Naruto grinned, "They can't judge whether we are worthy of chunin based off a stupid piece of paper."

"We'll figure something out if they do, though we don't have time to quiz you or anything when we don't even know exactly what's going to be tested." Sakura reassured him with a frown, "Or if there will be a test at all."

"Hurry up and finish eating, I want to get to the building and scope out the other candidates." Sasuke spoke up as he finished his tea, "If we get there early enough, maybe we can avoid the other rookies."

"Right." Naruto mumbled before starting to actually eat his dango.

Once they had finished up and paid, they made their way to the academy building where the exam was taking place. There were several genin lazing around the outside, some being foreign ninja. Sasuke paid them no mind and headed straight inside, Naruto and Sakura following suit.

"We need the third floor." Sakura mumbled to Sasuke, before allowing him to lead the way. When they reached the second floor, they noticed a large group of genin centered around one of the doors.

"Genjutsu." Sakura whispered to her teammates, having already noticed the signs of a jutsu on the classroom numbers. Sasuke only nodded in response before striding closer to see exactly what was going on.

"Let us in!" A girl with brown space buns shouted, voice brash as she faced the two boys in front of the door.

"As if." The one with bandages on his face snorted, nudging his partner with a laugh.

"You all should run along home to your mommy now, this exam isn't fit for little kids like you." The other called out, hand motioning towards the entire crowd. "Especially not delicate girls like you." He gestured towards the angry girl in front of them.

Sasuke scoffed quietly before turning to his teammates, "What do you think we should do? Let them handle it and hope they can figure it out themselves, or help them?"

Naruto immediately went to argue for helping them before noticing the look on Sakura's face.

"You can't seriously be thinking about just letting them fail."

"I-I just...This is a test to see if we are fit for Chunin. If not even one of them can figure out such a simple genjutsu then…" She trailed off, knowing Sasuke and Naruto would understand her way of thinking.

They couldn't afford to be nice to everyone, not in an exam like this. They were here to pass, not make friends.

Naruto glanced over at the crowd in hesitation, not wanting to just let these genin potentially fail due to not being able to see a genjutsu.

He hadn't known there was one either.

"Naruto. I guarantee none of these people would help you if the situation was reversed." Sasuke spoke up softly as he reached out to nudge Naruto back from the crowd. "You can't help everyone, let them figure this out themselves. This is a test after all."

Sasuke's words resonated in his head for a moment.

None of these people would help you if the situation was reversed.

"You're right." Naruto finally sighed, with Sakura nodding in relief. Sasuke led them towards the stairs quietly, using the ongoing commotion as an advantage to get past the group.

None of them noticed the two boys standing guard at the door watching their every movement.

Upon reaching the actual third floor, they stopped when they noticed Kakashi leaning against the exam room door, a book in hand.

"Welcome."

Kakashi had spent all morning preparing for the exams. Although he wasn't allowed to directly help with the tests that day, he was able to essentially act as a courier for the Hokage and the proctors. This allowed him to pick up gossip about the candidates, as well as scope out info for the actual tests.

Not that anyone really gave anything away. Everyone became tight lipped the moment he stepped into a room, much to his dismay. His reputation never did come in handy when it came to seeking gossip in his own village.

After running those little errands, Kakashi met up with the other jounin of what was dubbed the Rookie 9, as well as Might Guy.

Typically jounin didn't nominate their genin team until they had been an active ninja for at least a year and had several missions under their belt. This year however, all recently graduated genin had been nominated for the exams.

It had caused an uproar among other jounin and chunin, who felt that they were being overconfident in their genin's abilities and setting them up for failure.

A few weeks ago Kakashi would have thought the same. The training he put his team through however, gave him another perspective. They were ready, he was sure of it. With their dedication and teamwork, he had no doubt they would easily get through the first few stages of the exam.

The real danger was the one on one matches.

He was confident in their skills, but anything could happen when it came to individual battles.

It all came down to luck during that test, as who you get pitted against made all the difference.

While Kakashi wasn't aware of the abilities of all the foreign ninja in the exam, he knew about those in his village that were participating.

Naruto would most likely struggle against someone like Shikamaru, who's ability to think several moves ahead would put him at a disadvantage. If he got caught by Nara's signature jutsu, it was all over. Though his speed might give him the advantage in that particular battle. Then there was the issue of genjutsu.

Taijutsu focused combatants, such as Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga, would give Sakura a challenge that she probably wouldn't be able to overcome. She had improved her taijutsu, but not enough that her skills would overcome those that had been practicing for far longer on it.

Sasuke was well rounded enough to not have any major issues, though the taijutsu combatants would most likely force him to use more chakra and energy than he would like. Plus it all depended on his head space at the time. If he got too cocky, he would make mistakes that the opponent could take advantage of."

"You can't possibly think your genin are ready for this exam." Kakashi tilted his head, contemplating Guy's words, before shrugging.

"I know they are ready. I trust my genin to hold their own. Are you just worried yours will fail?"

Guy sputtered as he tried to find the right words to say, the jounin around them chuckling.

Kakashi decided not to wait for a response as he headed towards the door with a casual wave over his shoulder. "Let's just see how our genin fare in the first test, then we can argue over who's better."

Ignoring Guy's undignified shout over him leaving so soon, Kakashi made his way down a floor to the room where the first test would take place. He only had to wait for a few minutes when his genin finally came into view.

"Welcome." Kakashi spoke, voice loud enough to be heard by his genin, yet low enough that those in the testing room wouldn't be able to. His words were meant for his team only, he didn't need it getting around that he actually did have feelings after all.

"I'm glad to see all three of you made it, and looking reformed. I didn't realize you all had picked out something new to wear for the exams." Although his voice was one of indifference, there was approval shining in his eye. Their new clothing would allow them to lay low more, as the dark colors would help them blend in with the crowd. That was the best thing to do when it came to an exam like this. Sticking out and being the center of attention would only paint a target on their back, making it even more dangerous for them.

Holding his hand up to silence Sakura when she tried to speak, Kakashi continued on.

"We've been working hard these past few weeks to get you ready for the exam, but it's time to see the results. These tests aren't made to be passed by just anyone after all, but I believe you are ready for it," He paused as he took in his three genin standing before him, pride spreading through his chest.

"I'm proud of you. Now get in there and prove that you are worthy of being chunin."

Sakura hadn't been surprised when they entered the room and found it to be already mostly full. The Chunin exams weren't just for leaf genin after all, and Sakura had caught glimpses of the foreign nin entering the village during her breaks from training.

It was still a terrifying sight however.

The majority of ninja looked to be much older and more experienced, but Sakura reminded herself that they were still just genin. If they hadn't passed previous exams then maybe they lacked the proper skills for chunin.

It was a comforting thought at least.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Ino hurrying over to them, most likely seeking out Sasuke. Sakura didn't hesitate to grab Sasuke and Naruto's arm and hurry them into the crowd of older shinobi. "We don't want to make a scene." She hissed to Naruto, who had also caught sight of the other rookies and had been ready to head over to them. "Don't you remember what Kakashi-sensei told us when he sat us down to explain the exams?"

"Lay low and don't draw attention to yourself." Naruto murmured, clearly upset with the thought of not being able to converse with his old classmates. He had been looking forward to seeing them, considering he had been too busy with training to seek them out. While they weren't extremely close, he still considered most of them to be his friend.

"We only have about an hour before the first test begins, we should take the time to observe. Having an idea of who to avoid might benefit us later." Sasuke muttered as he glanced around for an empty seat. Tugging his team to one, they each took a seat, basically smushed up against each other.

Huddled close, Sasuke and Naruto began to bicker about what the first exam would be while Sakura, being the most observant of the three, began to glance around the room to see if she could spot any obvious targets to avoid.

"The redhead from sand, in the corner." Sakura whispered as she turned back to her team, "His glare is deadly, and from the looks of it, his teammates seem hesitant to stand close to him."

Both Sasuke and Naruto turned slightly to glance at the boy she pointed out, gazes sharp as they took in his dangerous aura. Sakura noticed they weren't the only ones eyeing him and motioned for Naruto and Sasuke to focus on her again.

"Avoid him at all costs. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Satisfied, Sakura leaned forward in her seat and began to scrutinize the room again. Time passed by quickly between their discussions of the test and those around them, voices easily drowned out by the other shinobi speaking in the room, though they kept their voices quiet regardless.

Suddenly, a large cloud of smoke formed in the front of the room.

A group of ninja were now standing where the smoke dispersed, and the room went dead silent as they took in the new comers.

"It's time to begin." The man in the middle was taller than the rest of his fellow shinobi next to him, with broad shoulders. He was dressed in what Sakura knew to be the Intelligence Division uniform, which he paired with a dark trench coat. His appearance was intimidating, imposing enough that several shinobi straightened in their seats.

"I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor...and from this moment, your worst enemy."

He might as well say goodbye to being a chunin.

Naruto could handle tests that dealt with ninjutsu, taijutsu, maybe even genjutsu. He could participate in a fight to the death if it actually came to it.

A written test however? Out of the question.

He didn't have the intelligence that Sakura seemed to carry, even Sasuke was better than he was when it came down to these types of things. The academy had been full of written tests, ones that he either barely passed or just completely failed. Then there was the fact that it was timed with several chunin watching over their every move. Naruto hadn't been paying attention to the point system, too focused on the fact that he had to pass a written test in order to become a chunin.

Naruto knew it had been a possibility but he really had been hoping his luck hadn't run out yet.

Things never did seem to go his way.

Then he heard Ibiki say that none of his team could get a zero if he wanted to pass and suddenly he regretted ever stepping into the room.

I'm screwed, there's no way I'll pass this.

As soon as Ibiki yelled for them to begin, Naruto took a deep breath and looked down at his test.

It only took a moment of skimming for him to realize there was absolutely no way he was going to be able to answer a single question on this paper.

Forcing himself to stay focused, Naruto began to read each question carefully in hopes that maybe his brain could come up with some type of answer. Unsurprisingly, he came up blank for every single one.

I can't be the only one here that doesn't understand a single word of this, right?

There's no way anyone here actually understands these questions.

Sakura knew she would be able to answer these questions sufficiently enough if given the time, but there was no actual way her team would be able to come up with something within the allotted time frame for the test.

Why are the questions like this, it doesn't make any sense.

The girl went ahead and started working out the answer to each question, a frown on her face. It didn't matter if she got everything right, but at least it would distract her from worrying about Naruto.

About halfway through the test, Sakura realized exactly what was going on.

The proctor is from the Intelligence Division, but they wouldn't add in a pretty lax rule about cheating if it was actually about how smart the candidate is. It's about information gathering. They want us to cheat and not get caught, to see how we would fare on a real mission.

With that thought in mind, Sakura went back to answering the questions with ease. There was no point in worrying about whether Naruto wrote anything down, she was sure of it. The test was just a gimmick to hide the true nature of the exam.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had come to the same conclusion. He hadn't understood a single question on the paper, and knew there was no way Naruto would either. Sakura would be fine, he had doubt that she had probably already answered every question. Cheating was essential to getting the answers, that was the only thing he was sure of. He only hoped Naruto figured it out as well, or they were doomed.

Naruto hadn't figured it out unfortunately, and had gone back to worrying over getting an answer right. The hour passed by relatively fast in his eyes, because suddenly Ibiki was standing up and delivering the tenth and final question.

"Before I give you the question, there are some more rules you need to be aware of."

More rules? You've got to be kidding me!

Naruto straightened up in his seat, wanting to stay focused on the proctor. This was the only chance he had at passing, he needed to be able to answer this one.

"Rule number one, each of you is free to choose not to be given the tenth question. It's your decision."

A murmur of confusion rang out across the room, with a sand kunoichi yelling out,

"So what's the catch?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of the other nine, you'll fail. If you accept the question but answer incorrectly, you will not only fail, but you will be barred from taking the chunin exams ever again!"

Naruto sat there in disbelief as people began to refuse the tenth question and filter out of the room. Everything came down to this tenth question, and if it was anything like the other nine, he was going to fail. Could he really risk it? He had to, right? Refusing meant Sasuke and Sakura failed as well, and he couldn't take that chance from them.

I don't need the fancy title of chunin anyways, my teams more important than that. I can't just think of myself here. They deserve a shot at chunin, I can't let all their hard work go to waste. We spent weeks preparing for this, I'm not about to let it be for nothing.

Turning around in his seat, he sought out his teammates, noticing that several others had also looked to find their teammates in the small room. They both looked back at him with worry on their face, obviously waiting to see what his move would be. Naruto gave them a determined nod before turning back around to wait for the tenth question.

"Last chance." Ibiki's voice boomed out, eyes narrowed as he took in who was left in the room.

When it became clear that nobody else was leaving, Ibiki clapped his hands together and stepped forward again.

"Alright. One last thing...You've passed."

After that surprise twist with the exams, they were faced with their second proctor and brought to the forty-fourth training ground. Also known as The Forest of Death. A fitting name for the next part of the test.

Their proctor, Anko Mitarashi, was rather loud and brash as she started to explain the training grounds and what might be inside.

Team 7 was towards the back of the group, with Sakura keeping an eye on Naruto to make sure he didn't say anything stupid out loud. They had gotten this far without drawing attention to themselves and she wasn't about to start now.

Unsurprisingly, Kiba Inuzuka was the one to start a commotion.

"I can handle anything!" He shouted, with Akamaru barking in agreement. Within seconds, Anko had thrown a kunai, slicing his cheek, and appeared behind the boy.

"Is that so? The blood of tough guys typically ends up covering the forest floor you know." There was a sadistic grin on her face as she used a finger to wipe the blood dripping from his cheek. Sakura noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and watched as a grass ninja moved quicker than she could see and got behind Anko, her tongue wrapped around Anko's kunai.

"That's just gross." Naruto mumbled, though he received Sakura's elbow to his gut in response.

"I didn't even see him move." Sakura whispered to Sasuke before nodding towards Naruto, "I think it's similar to what Kakashi-sensei taught Naruto. We'll have to keep an eye on him."

Sasuke nodded in agreement before nudging Sakura to pay attention to Anko again.

The proctor had moved onto talking about consent forms, in case things went wrong during the exam. They were quickly handed out and signed, to which Anko began to explain exactly what they would be doing in the forest.

"Five days?" Naruto groaned, head dropping forward in exasperation.

"As long as you properly stocked up, we should be fine. We prepared for this." Sakura said as she double checked her pockets. "You guys did pack right?"

Sasuke nodded in affirmation as he checked his own pockets, though he didn't pull anything out in case someone happened to be watching. "Good. Naruto?"

Silence.

Sakura sighed in annoyance before patting his shoulder. "It's fine. I'll check what you brought once we get into the forest.

Naruto wordlessly nodded, his face abash as he thought about his mistake.

"We'll make it work." She mumbled before focusing her attention back on Anko. Once the proctor had gone through all the rules and information they might need, Anko motioned towards the booths set up by the gate.

"Head there once your forms are signed in order to get your scroll and gate number. After that, wait at your gate and the test will begin when they open."

With that said, everyone started to form lines at the booths and get their scroll.

Within fifteen minutes, Team 7 was standing in front of gate twelve, ready for the start of the second test.