Sunlight streamed through the window and Naruto sat upright, yawning and stretching. He slouched forward with his eyes still closed, then rubbed them as he looked around his room at the books and scrolls he'd left on the floor. He looked over to Natsumi's neatly made bed and sighed.
"She's already gone again..."
He stretched a second time and slid out of bed, scratching his backside as he walked to the kitchen where he began to get his breakfast ready. He slowly chewed on a piece of toast when he reached out for the carton of milk and held it up to his ear. He shook it and sighed as the curdled chunks sloshed around. He set the carton back down and continued to eat his toast in disappointment.
He stood to dump the milk down the sink after he finished eating, then looked over at the fridge where a note had been stuck. He blinked and squinted at it as he read it.
Naruto,
Sorry to have to leave so early again.
I'll see you later tonight.
Don't drink the milk. You let it go bad.
I'll pick up some more on my way home.
He made a face and lowered his hand with a sigh.
"Too bad I didn't see this first."
He held it up again, noticing smaller writing on the bottom.
PS- clean up your own mess
Naruto made a face and crossed his arms. "It's only morning and she's already nagging."
He stood in place for a moment, pursing his lips before he narrowed his eyes at the mess on the table. After a moment, he cleaned it off quickly with a huff as he muttered.
"I only did it because I wanted to and that's it."
Naruto turned and marched into the bathroom, showering and dressing before stepping out of the apartment and locking the door. Reaching up, he tightened the knot of his headband and smiled.
"Here we go!" He stretched in various positions, then ran off quickly with a slight smirk. "I'm gonna take care of my duties with gusto again today!"
He ran faster toward Team Seven's usual meeting spot and laughed to himself. "Woah! Mach five!"
Sakura and Sasuke stood on the bridge as they waited; Sasuke leaned against the railing in silence as Sakura looked around impatiently for the other members of their team with her arms crossed. She closed her eyes for a moment to let out a breath, then opened them and turned as Naruto ran over.
"Oh! Good morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice lilted as he waved, stopping in front of her with a wide grin. He blinked and put his hands on his hips as he met Sasuke's gaze, narrowing his eyes with a scowl.
Sasuke furrowed his brows at the blonde, and Sakura looked between the two back and forth.
"Hmph!" The boys turned away from each other in irritation.
Sakura sighed and slouched forward as she shut her eyes. "Oh, not again! These two... they've been sort of strange since we got back from the Land of Waves... it's so uncomfortable..." She let out a sigh breath and tensed her brows. "Hurry up and get here, Kakashi-sensei!"
The trio waited and waited as they leaned against the side of the bridge with their eyes closed.
"Well... good morning, everyone!" Kakashi appeared on top of the red torii, raising his hand in a wave. "Today I got lost."
The Genin turned to look up at him with hardened stares.
"Liar!" Sakura and Naruto pointed at him accusingly at the same time.
Kakashi jumped down to stand in front of them, and Naruto leaned forward with his eyes wide in excitement.
"Hey, hey... Kakashi-sensei! Our Team always has the easy missions lately! Aren't there more exciting missions where I can be more active, where I can use my Ninja Way and my soul... ya know?"
Kakashi held up his hands and waved them slightly. "Oh, yes, yes... I basically understand what you're trying to say."
Naruto scowled slightly and looked over his shoulder at Sasuke, who met his eyes briefly and returned the look.
"Darn!" Naruto turned to face him, holding up his hands as he glared at the Uchiha. "He's always making me indebted to him and making himself look good during our missions! I won't lose to him! Not a chance!"
Sakura's eye twitched at Naruto as she watched him, then cracked her knuckles. "You little...!"
"Today for sure!" Naruto smirked to himself and clenched his fist as he imagined Sasuke fall to the ground, injured. A kunai was thrown at him, and Naruto leapt in the way, knocking the knife away to defend Sasuke with a confident grin. "'Hmph. You are so much trouble!"
"That's what I'd like to say!" Naruto shouted out loud with fiery determination in his eyes at the fantasy.
"Hey, what're you doing, Naruto? We're going on our mission!"
"Okay!" Naruto chuckled to himself and quickly followed the Jonin.
"You've been so annoying for a while!" Sakura crossed her arms and scolded as she looked over her shoulder at Naruto.
"Hey!" Naruto frowned and opened his mouth, only for Kakashi to hit the top of his head lightly.
"Hey, Naruto, pipe down and save your energy for our missions."
Naruto looked at Sakura, who sat quietly as she plucked weeds from the garden bed, quietly humming to herself, then he looked over at Sasuke, who worked in silence. Naruto narrowed his eyes for a moment, then pushed up his sleeves and turned to the garden bed beside him.
"I'm not going to lose to Sasuke!"
He quickly starting to rip out fistfuls of the plants until the bed was empty and a large pile of greens stood almost as tall as himself. The woman came out to look at their progress and stared wide-eyed at Naruto as he grinned and rubbed his nose.
"Heh..."
"Hey, you!" The woman scowled and rested her fists on her hips.
"Huh?" Naruto turned to her and lowered his hand. "Oh, Mrs.! I've gotten rid of all the weeds for you, just like you wanted!"
The woman shut her eyes tightly and shook, clenching her jaw. Naruto blinked at her.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Those... those weren't weeds."
"Eh?"
"Those are herbs that I grow in my garden!" Her opened and she glared down at him, then swatted at him with her broom.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!"
Naruto stuck a can into the basket he carried on his back and walked through the knee-deep water of the river, collecting litter as Kakashi rested against a tree and read his book.
He stepped forward as he searched for more litter on the river bed and lost his step, falling back into the water with a shout.
Sasuke and Sakura looked up at him as the current swept him away, thrashing and kicking.
"Somebody... help!"
His eyes widened as he was thrown over the edge of the waterfall and he waved his arms as he screamed.
"No way! Free fall!"
After a moment, he stopped screaming suddenly and blinked, realizing that he was no longer falling. "H-Huh?"
Looking up, Naruto saw Sasuke gripping his ankle tightly, suspended from a tree above safely.
"You idiot."
Naruto gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows as he dangled there. "Darn you..."
"Hey! We're not supposed to go that way, ya know!" Naruto tugged hard backward on the leash of a large dog as it dragged him towards a fenced-off area. "Hey! Please stop!"
Sakura and Sasuke blinked at Naruto, holding the leashes of two small dogs in their hands.
"That fool..." Sasuke muttered under his breath.
"That's because he stubbornly chose that huge dog." Sakura frowned slightly.
The large dog pulled Naruto toward an opening in the fence, and Naruto shook his head as he tried to pull the dog back.
"Hey, hey! Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" He pleaded as the dog pulled him through the fence and beyond the signs marked 'Danger.'
"H-Hey, doggy... that's the mine field over there..."
Small explosions sounded off, one after the other, and smoke filled the air as Naruto screamed.
"Yikes! Ow! Ow! Stop this! Turn around! Ow!"
Kakashi glanced over his book the noise, then looked back down to continue reading. Sasuke and Sakura let out heavy sighs, and Naruto was dragged out of the field a moment later, coughing out dust and covered in char and ash. The dog barked softly, wagging his tail happily at the excitement and obediently sitting beside Naruto.
"B-Bad dog..."
"It's because you're so reckless!" Sakura scolded a bruised and dirty Naruto, as she and Sasuke supported him as they walked.
"Geez... you're so much trouble." Sasuke smirked slightly and muttered.
Naruto blinked and made a face at the words, pulling away from the two as he growled and narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha.
"Saaasuuukeeee—!" He stopped and blinked as Sakura blocked him with her arm and Sasuke walked off with his hands in his pockets without acknowledging him.
"If you act up any more, I'll finish you!"
Kakashi closed his eye and sighed. "Hmm... teamwork hasn't been good lately."
"That's right, that's right!" Naruto glared at Sasuke and held up his fist. "Sasuke, you're to blame for the poor teamwork! You're always attracting attention!"
"That's you, you idiot." Sasuke replied as he walked away. "If you don't want to owe me big time..." He stopped and looked over his shoulder, furrowing his brows. "You just need to become stronger than me!"
"Tch!" Naruto gritted his teeth and stared at Sasuke, who returned the look.
"It seems like they're getting along even worse than before..." Sakura looked between the boys and gulped.
Sasuke scowled and balled his hands into fists. "Damn... this is frustrating! There are plenty of guys outside who are stronger than I am... Always making me go on these lame kind of missions..."
A hawk screeched overhead and Kakashi looked up at it, then down at his students.
"Well, then... perhaps we should disperse. I do need to submit a report about this mission."
"Okay, then, I'm going home." Sasuke loosened his fists and turned to leave.
Sakura broke into a grin, blushing slightly as she followed him. "H-Hey! Sasuke, wait for me!"
Naruto pouted with his hand reached out as she followed Sasuke, then sighed and slouched forward.
"Hey... how about... why don't you and I..." Sakura blushed deeper and looked down, and then met his eyes. "Why don't we work on improving our teamwork together?"
"You're just like Naruto." Sasuke turned to look at her, and the color in her face drained slightly.
"J-Just like Naruto?"
"If you have time to spend on me, why don't you practice a Jutsu?" His lips formed a line as he looked at her. "To tell you frankly, your abilities are less than Naruto's!"
"Less than Naruto... less than Naruto..." Sakura gulped again and hung her head.
Sasuke walked away and she stared down at her feet. "That's right... it's always that way for me during every mission. I'll never be able to do anything at all..."
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned and waved his hand over his head. "Just let Sasuke be, and the two of us can practice together!"
Sakura trembled and balled her fists, and Kakashi disappeared in a small puff of smoke.
"Huh?" Naruto looked around, then chuckled to himself. "Sensei disappeared... Was he being thoughtful?"
A box pained to match the street crept up behind Naruto slowly and stopped as he turned to look.
"Huh?" Naruto's eye twitched as he looked at the poor disguise. "Pretending to be... a rock?"
He turned and walked a few steps away, and the box followed him. Naruto took off running up and down the street, and the box continued to pursue him back and forth until Naruto stopped suddenly and the box screeched to a halt.
Naruto squinted at the box and put his hands on his hips, then pointed. "There's no such thing as a perfectly square rock with two perfectly round eye holes! It's totally obvious!"
"Just what you'd expect from the man I respect!" Konohamaru's muffled voice came from the box. "You are my rival, after all!"
The box burst open with a bright light and smoke, and the three kids coughed on their hands and knees as the smoke cleared.
"Hey! That was too much gunpowder!" Konohamaru complained.
They blinked up at Naruto, who stared at them blankly.
"With unrivaled good looks!" The girl stood and posed with a smile. "I'm Moegi of the senior class at Kunoichi Preschool!"
"I love factoring!" The boy in glasses took his own pose. "Udon!"
Konohamaru stood with a grin and posed. "The most brilliant Ninja in the village! Konohamaru!"
"The three of us together make..." They said in unison. "The Konohamaru Trio!"
"I knew it was you three." Naruto mumbled and crossed his arms behind his head. He squinted and looked at them more closely. "Huh? Why area you all wearing goggles?"
Konohamaru laughed and touched the goggles on his forehead. "We're just copying what you used to do, boss!"
"Oh." Naruto looked away with a blank expression.
"What's with the 'oh'?!" Konohamaru clenched his hand and looked up at the blond. "Your reactions have been pretty cold these days!"
"So..." Naruto changed the subject. "Did you want something?"
"See?" Konohamaru put his arm around Udon's shoulders and whispered. "Cold!"
"So, leader!" Moegi smiled up at him. "Do you have some free time now?"
"Nope." Naruto grinned and pointed a thumb at himself. "I have to train!"
"What?!" Konohamaru made a face. "You said you'd play Ninja with us today!"
"O-Oh? Is that right?" Naruto chuckled and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Geez... If I play with these guys, they would make me hang out all day."
"Hmph! Why would a Ninja play Ninja?" Sakura shuffled over, still sulking. She stopped and looked at Naruto blankly.
"W-What is it?" Naruto blushed faintly and looked over at her with a faint smile.
"Abilities less than this guy, huh?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Heh... she's making me blush, staring like that." Naruto rubbed his head again as his blush deepened.
Konohamaru looked between the two Genin, leaning closer to Naruto to whisper. "Niichan... who's she?" He turned to stare at Sakura. "She's been staring at him with eyes like she's gonna kill him!" His eyes widened slightly and he grinned, turning back to Naruto to tug on his jacket.
"You've been busier than I thought, Niichan..."
"Eh?" Naruto looked down at him.
"Niichan, is she your...?" Konohamaru held up his little finger, then wiggled it slightly. "This?"
Naruto blinked and blushed again. "Shucks! You're pretty sharp for a kid!"
"No way!" Sakura drew her fist back, then hit Naruto's cheek hard and sent him flying back into the fence as she breathed heavily and glared.
"Niichan!" Konohamaru glared at Sakura and held up his fist. "What are you doing?!"
"No! Leader!" Udon and Moegi rushed to Naruto and helped him up slowly.
"His pulse... his pulse..." Udon muttered.
"You ugly wench! Ugly wench!" Konohamaru shouted at Sakura.
She narrowed her eyes at him and cracked her knuckles.
"Huh?" Konohmaru's face paled as she walked toward him and screamed as she punched him hard and knocked him back into Naruto.
"Hmph!" Sakura marched away slowly, huffing under her breath.
"Are you all right, Konohamaru?" Udon poked his friend's shoulder as Konohamaru lay on the ground with tears streaming down his face.
"Ow!" Naruto stood slowly, followed by Konohamaru, who rubbed the knots on the top of their heads.
"Darn that huge-foreheaded ugly wench!" Konohamaru sniffed. "Is she a girl for real?"
Sakura stopped at the comment, her eye twitching as she tightened her jaw and glared over her shoulder at the group to fix her eyes on them.
"Yikes!" Naruto gulped and trembled. Sakura started after them, and he turned and ran. "Run away!"
They ran off, screaming as she chased them until Konohamaru ran into someone and fell to the ground.
He blinked and looked up and his eyes widened. "Huh?"
"That kind of hurt..." The teenage boy narrowed his eyes at the kid, and the group blinked at the strange pair of Ninja.
Kakashi approached the desk where several Chunin and Jonin sat, reviewing papers. He stopped in front of Iruka, who smiled in greeting.
"Kakashi, you're back sooner than I anticipated."
Kakashi nodded and held out the paper in his hands to Iruka, who looked it over.
"So, I have formally received this report from you." Iruka looked up at Kakashi. "Is Naruto getting along with the others?"
"Hm?" Kakashi looked to the side for a moment. "Well, he's doing okay."
"I've been busy lately." Iruka scratched his cheek. "So, I haven't had a chance to see him even once since his return. I'm a little concerned..."
"As you know, Iruka, Sasuke is also in our squad. Naruto sees him as a rival, which is a little straining." Kakashi smiled and his eye closed. "But, the result is that his abilities are developing significantly." He opened his eyes to look down at the teacher. "Almost to the point that he might reach yours, the one he respects!"
Iruka smiled and nodded to himself. "Really? That's good."
"Konohamaru!" Naruto clenched his fist as the boy gripped Konohamaru by the collar and lifted him into the air.
"That kind of hurt, you little punk!" He smirked slightly and tightened his grip.
The blonde girl beside him looked away momentarily and rolled her eyes. "Stop that. You'll get yelled at later."
"I-I'm sorry. I was fooling around..." Sakura apologized quickly and held her hands together nervously, trembling slightly. "What are these two?"
"Hey, stop!" Naruto glared at the older boy and shouted. "Let go of him!"
"Heh." The boy smirked down at the blond and eyed his headband. "So, these are the Leaf's Genin..."
"Let's play with them before the strict one comes around." He chuckled and looked at Konohamaru as he struggled.
"Let go!" Konohamaru kicked at the Sand Shinobi and gritted his teeth.
"You're pretty lively, you little punk..."
"You jerk!" Naruto ran at the foreigner with his fist balled as he drew it back for a punch.
The boy smirked at Naruto and turned toward him, then wiggled his fingers slightly. Naruto fell back suddenly with his eyes wide.
"What?! What was that?" Naruto sat up and the older boy chuckled to himself.
"The Leaf Village's Genin are weaker than I thought."
"These guys are foreign..." Sakura watched the pair quietly. "Why are they here?"
"Konohamaru..." Naruto stayed where he sat and glared.
"I-It hurts..." Konohamaru strained and his face paled.
"Hey!" Naruto leapt to his feet and pointed. "If you don't let him go, I won't forgive him, you idiot!"
Sakura put her arm around Naruto's neck and pulled him back as she hissed. "You're the idiot! What are you gonna do by getting him worked up?!"
Kankuro smirked at Naruto and Sakura. "You're pissing me off." He held up a fist. "I don't like little runts anyway. On top of that, you're a smart aleck for being younger than me..." His expression darkened. "It makes me want to break him."
Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened and they froze in place, as Udon and Moegi gulped and trembled.
The older girl sighed and put a hand on her hip. "It's not on me, then."
"What's with this guy?" Sakura pressed her lips together. "He's crazy..."
"Well then, after this little squirt, it'll be that little runt that won't shut up." Kankuro drew his fist back, aiming at the boy he held up.
"You—!" Naruto broke free of Sakura's grip and ran at him.
A small rock hit Kankuro's wrist hard, breaking the skin slightly. He dropped Konohamaru and scowled as he held his wrist. After a moment, he blinked and looked up into the tree where Sasuke sat with a second rock in his hand.
"What do you think you're doing in someone else's Village, you..."
Sakura blushed faintly and smiled up at him. "Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto made a face at Sasuke, and Kankuro scowled up at him. "Tch. Another punk to piss me off."
Temari's lips twitched in a small smile. "He's pretty cute."
"Naruto niichan!" Konohamaru ran over to Naruto.
Sasuke crushed the rock in his hand, then opened it to let the dust fall as he furrowed his brows. "Get lost!"
"Wow! So cool!" Sakura and Moegi blushed at him with their hands close to their face.
Naruto gulped and pushed his index fingers together, standing awkwardly beside Konohmaru, who pouted and pointed at the blond.
"Naruto, you're lame!"
"Dummy!" Naruto knelt in front of him and patted his shoulder. "I would've quickly taken down that guy, too!"
"Hmph!" The boy looked away and crossed his arms.
Naruto gritted his teeth. "That Sasuke! Why is he always, always meddling like this?!"
"Hey, come down here, punk!" Kankuro pointed a finger at the Uchiha. "You're the kind of smart aleck punk that I despise the most." He reached up to grip the bandage slung over his shoulder as a strap, then lifted the wrapped weapon from his back and set it in front of him.
"Wait! You're not thinking of using Crow, are you?!" Temari blinked and held up a hand.
"Kankuro, stop that. You're an embarrassment to our Village."
Sasuke's eyes widened at the new voice. "Huh?"
The group looked up to see a stern red-haired Sand Genin, standing upside-down on a branch with his arms crossed.
Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened and they gulped.
"G-Gaara..." Kankuro muttered and let out a quiet breath. "Damn it..."
Sasuke turned to look at Gaara, narrowing his eyes. "When did he get next to me? Those footsteps as stealthy as Kakashi's..."
Gaara looked over at Sasuke, silently as they met each other's eyes, then Gaara turned back to his teammates.
"Why do you think we came all the way here to the Leaf Village?"
"P-Please listen to me, Gaara!" Kankuro stammered. "T-They lashed out first..."
"Shut up!" Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Or I'll kill you."
Gaara looked at the Leaf Genin. "I'm sorry about that..."
"This guy... has a nasty look." Sasuke watched him carefully without a word.
"To think he was able to hit Kankuro with a tiny rock with such ease." Gaara watched Sasuke, equally cautious. "This guy's good."
Sasuke stood as Gaara turned to sand, then reformed in front of his teammates with a hard expression. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play around."
"I know." Temari nodded slowly, turning to follow Gaara as be began to walk away.
"Hold on!" Sakura stepped forward, and the trio turned to look at her.
"What is it?" Temari put a hand on her hip.
"Judging from your headbands, you're Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Sand, right?" Sakura paused, then continued when they remained silent. "Without question, the Land of Fire and Land of Wind are allied nations. But the arbitrary coming and going of Shinobi is supposed to be prohibited by the treaty. State your purpose! Dependingon the circumstances..."
"Hmph. So this is what they mean by the darkest places being under a candlestick." Temari smirked faintly. "Don't you know anything about it?" Temari reached into her pass, then pulled out her identification card. "My permit. As you say, we're Genin from the Land of Wind. We came to take the Chunin Exam."
"Chunin Exam...?" Naruto scratched his cheek and muttered to himself. "What's that, anyways?"
"You really don't know anything, do you?" Temari crossed her arms.
"Niichan, if you pass the exam, you can elevate your rank from Genin to Chunin." Konohamaru explained.
"I see!" He grinned and turned to the boy. "Then maybe I'll try taking them!"
The Sand Genin turned to leave again, and Sasuke hopped out of the tree. "Hey! You there... what's your name?"
"Huh?" Temari turned slightly, her cheeks warming. "Me?"
"No. The gourd next to you." Sasuke pointed, then crossed his arms.
The redhead slowly turned to face him and met his eyes. "I'm Gaara. I have an interest in you as well... What's your name?"
"Sasuke Uchiha." He smirked faintly.
"Say! Say! What about me?" Naruto pointed a thumb at himself.
"Not interested." Gaara turned his back, and Naruto made a face and clenched his fists.
"Darn it!"
"Hey! Naruto! I finally found you!" Natsumi waved and ran towards her brother as she spotted him, slowly as she got close. "I've been looking for you everywhere! I'm free right now so I thought that we could—"
Natsumi froze as she recognized Kankuro and her face flushed a deep red as she pointed at him. "I-It's you!"
Kankuro blinked and stood in place. "That voice..." He turned to look at her and blushed faintly. "Y-You're..."
He's here! But... why?! I wasn't supposed to ever see him again!
Natsumi trembled slightly as their eyes met.
This isn't how it was supposed to happen! I was supposed to have a moment of crazy bravery, and then forget that it ever happened. But... he's here!
"Huh?" Naruto looked between Kankuro and his sister. "Natsumi, do you know that jerk?!"
Natsumi paled slightly.
Crap! I can't let Naruto find out that I kissed him! He'd freak out and start a fight with him right here!
She laughed loudly and awkwardly. "What?! Me? Know him?" She waved her hand, looking away so that Naruto couldn't see her flushed face. "Pfft! T-That's just... crazy talk! I mean... he's from the Hidden Sand Village... there's no way I could know him, right?"
Natsumi patted Naruto's back hard, unable to do anything but laugh sheepishly in panic.
"Well..." Naruto squinted at her suspiciously. "You're kind of acting like you know him."
"Pfft! No! Of course not!" Natsumi waved her hand again. "H-He just has one of those faces, ya know!"
"And who are you to her?" The Sand Genin crossed his arms and looked over at Naruto.
"Huh?" Naruto turned to him, then furrowed his brows slightly. "What?! Who do you think you are? I'm her twin brother, ya know!"
"Twins...?" Kankuro blinked, then stared at Natsumi, his eyes wandering to her open jacket for a moment. "Wait... Just how old are you?"
Natsumi blushed and crossed her arms over her chest. "W-What a completely weird thing to ask someone you've never met before!" She laughed again, then looked behind her. "Oh! I hear Kiri looking for me! I'm gonna go!"
"Wait, what?" Naruto turned as she started to quickly walk away. "You just got here! Where are you going?"
"You know... I've got this... thing!" Natsumi scratched her head and looked at her brother with a forced smile. "At a... place! Far away from here! Bye!"
She waved and ran off as her blush matched her hair and she disappeared around a corner, breathing heavily.
What is he doing here?! This is bad!
She pressed herself against the wall once she was far enough away and hid her face in her hands.
Oh no... could it be...? That he's one of the Genin that the Hidden Sand sent for the Chunin Exams?!
She slid down the wall, drawing her knees to her chest and buried her face in her legs.
Oh, this is so bad. So, so bad. Everyone's going to find out that I kissed a guy I didn't even know. Naruto is going to completely freak out. Kiri is going to have a field day of this, and I'm going to die of embarrassment...
She looked up quickly, wide-eyed, and covered her mouth.
What if he comes looking for me?! What would he say?! What should I do?! This is a nightmare!
"There is no other reason to summon you here other than... As you can see based off of the faces you can see around..." Hiruzen addressed the assembled Jonin before him.
"So, it's already that time..." Kakashi muttered aloud.
"The other Lands have already been notified, right?" Asuma spoke with a cigarette between his lips. "I've seen them here and there throughout the Village."
"And?" Kurenai asked. "When will it be?"
"In a week." The Hokage answered, blowing out a slow wisp of smoke, closing his eyes briefly.
Kakashi blinked. "That's very sudden."
"Now... I will make the formal announcement." He looked up, opening his eyes. "Seven days from today, on the first day of July, the Chunin Exams will begin!"