OI!!! I'm so sorry for the delay, guys! This summer has been insane, major. Plus, I had to re-watch the JumpFesta 2003 episode, which was the inspiration for this chapter, since it's all about the place where Kakashi's Chuunin exam was (cute episode, see it if you haven't already). Oh, and just so y'all know, I wrote a prologue to this story called Fly, about Naruto and Sakura, but, oh, someone decided to report me because it was too 'graphic' or some such crap, so my account got locked up, and it just now became functional again. I posted Fly on , so if you'd like to read it, check it out there! Alrighty, that said, I shall shut up and let Kakashi do his stuff!

Chapter 5: Chuunin

"So you took the Chuunin exam at Akagahara, right? I remember you saying that a while ago," Naruto said after a few moments of silence.

"Mm-hm. That was one hell of an exam, let me tell you. Most of my year-mates failed, and I came pretty close to failing myself. If it hadn't been for Midori..." Kakashi trailed off, his eyes focused on Chief.

"What happened?" Sakura inquired gently, fearing the worst.

"Lots of things," Kakashi replied, looking up from the dog. "But I'll get to that later. I may as well start at the beginning instead of jumping around all over the place."

"Good idea," said Naruto, relieved. "I'm still not great at keeping stories straight unless they're told in order."

Kakashi grinned. "That's all the incentive I need, then. I shudder to think of how garbled your account of my life would be if I confused you."

"Gee, thanks. You're swell," Naruto said, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"I know."

It did not take any of the members of Team 7 very long to decide that they were indeed going to take the Chuunin exam. For the most part, once the registration papers were in their hands, there was no turning back. Akinari and Haruko were both ecstatic that Kakashi was chosen to participate at such a young age, and spent quite a bit of time talking about their own exams during the week-long grace period before their son's. When he wasn't listening to his parents' stories, Kakashi taught a two-year- old Asia how to throw shuriken. It only took her three days to hit the dot he painted on a tree in their yard, and Kakashi could not have been more pleased with her progress. She was shaping up to be just as quick a learner as her brother, and Kakashi knew that his mother was planning to begin teaching Asia on the katana soon. If she had done this well with shuriken, Kakashi was more than excited to see how Asia would handle a sword.

Also during that week, Ace, Crash, and Max were reunited again. Nothing about their friendship had changed, and it seemed that the conversation picked up right where it left off at the Academy on the day teams were assigned.

"Nariko-sensei, now she was a doozy," Obito said as the boys walked aimlessly through town. It was Friday, and the exams were only two days away. "The rumors are all true. She doesn't use weapons, ever, and she's fast! Aya thinks she's the greatest thing on two legs." Obito looked pointedly at Kakashi and grinned. "Watch your back, Max. Aya's got a thing for you."

Asuma started sniggering, almost choking on his toothpick. Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "Huh? A thing? What kind of thing?"

"She talks about you all the time," Obito replied, his grin growing wider. "She keeps saying that she wants to kick the snot out of you because you're one of the strongest kids in our year." Obito raised his voice in an imitation of Aya. "I think it would be so fun to fight him, don't you? Oh, Kakashi has such good form. Do you think I could beat him? I'd like to try. Kakashi this, Kakashi that, oh he is just incredible!"

Asuma actually had to take the toothpick from is mouth, because he was laughing too hard to keep track of it. Kakashi, on the other hand, was quite puzzled. Why would Aya say such things if they'd only met once? And how on earth would she know what kind of fighter he was? Asuma's laughter was contagious, though, and Kakashi could not help but laugh along with him.

"Girls are goofy," Kakashi said when he could talk again. "I don't get 'em. How does she know all this stuff about me?"

Asuma and Obito exchanged a look, and it was Asuma who answered this time. "I think you have Midori to thank for that."

That was the last thing Kakashi expected by way of explanation. "Midori? But...she..." he paused to think. Wait, didn't Midori say that she and Aya were best friends when we met Rai-sensei? "MIDORI'S BEEN SNITCHING!" Kakashi burst out, waving his hands in the air, an act that was punctuated by more snickering from his friends. "That's...that's...holy crap! What has she been telling her? What does...oh bother. I don't even care. She's gonna think what she's gonna think, and there's nothing I can do about it. I guess I'm gonna have to fight Aya now."

"Who's fighting who?"

Judging from the haughty tone to that voice, it could only belong to Gai. Kakashi smacked his forehead and swore, while Obito and Asuma made faces.

"What do you want, Harold?" Asuma pulled a fresh toothpick from his pocket and chewed on it. "Go away."

"No, I don't think I will." Gai said, and came over to the group, slinging an arm around Kakashi's shoulders and showing teeth in a smile. "Not until I hear who the old man is fighting."

Kakashi snorted. "Ouch, it stings. I think I'm going to go cry about that for the rest of my life." The silvery haired boy yanked down his mask and grinned wickedly. "If you must know, I've got a girl after me, thick- brows."

WHAT? WHAT? How could that stupid, ugly idiot get a girl before me? I'm so much better looking! And he's my rival! How dare anyone else think of pounding him before I do?

"HAH! Like I'm gonna believe that! You're just trying to weasel out of our rivalry!"

Asuma and Obito were guffawing loudly by that point, and Kakashi wanted to, though, by some miracle, he was able to control the urge. "Why would I do that? She'll be at the exam. You can ask her yourself."

"Does she have a name?" Gai asked drly. "Or is she just someone you made up?"

"Hiro Aya," Obito put in. "She's on my team."

At the sound of the name, Gai blanched. He'd heard things about Hiro Aya, and she was the type of person he preferred to stay away from. Damn it! Now I've just dug myself into a hole. There's no way I'm messing with Hiro Aya! She's a menace! "Well, I've got more training to do so I can crush you all in the exam. I hope you're ready, because there's gonna be no mercy!" Before he could embarrass himself further, Gai took off in the other direction, walking as fast as he could manage it without actually running. He still had his dignity.

"Well, that answers that," Asuma said. "Even Gai doesn't want to fool around with Aya."

Kakashi tugged his mask back to its proper position. "I guess that's why she picked me to have a thing for and not him," he said wryly, to laughter. "Oh well. I'll deal with Aya when the time comes. Right now, I feel like getting into trouble." Kakashi looked around for something suitable, and found a nice, large puddle of mud nearby, the result of a storm the night before. He always did like mud. Asuma and Obito followed his gaze, and they grinned.

"Who knows when we'll get to do this again?" Asuma said, inching closer to the mud.

"Exactly," Obito replied, following Asuma. "I mean, with the exam and all, you know." He reached down and there was a squelching noise as his fingers hit the mud.

"That's what I was thinking," Kakashi managed to say before mud spattered all over his face. Of course, an all out battle ensued, and quite a bit of trouble was got into, as was the plan.

"I knew it!" Sakura declared, triumphant. "I knew that something was going to happen with Aya!" She smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Kakashi smiled his own mysterious smile. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps? Bull! You two end up falling in love, I bet my life on it." Sakura stated matter-of-factly.

"Really? How interesting. Please, go on. I'm riveted."

Naruto raised his hand to cover a fake yawn, concealing silent laughter. Sakura's face went red.

"Kakashi! You do! I know it!" She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring. "Oh, fine. I get it. I'll shut up."

"Are you sure?"

Another glare. "Yes."

"This is your last chance."

"WOULD YOU TELL THE STORY?"

Naruto could not hide his laughter any longer.

"I hate both of you." Sakura said, and that was the end of that.

The myths surrounding the infamous Akagahara forest were began by the various ninja who took the Chuunin exam there, and as they were passed from generation to generation, they became quite distorted and embellished, which only added to the fear surrounding the mere mention of the name. The most common story claimed that one year, twenty-four hopefuls entered the forest, and none of them ever came out. There was also legend surrounding a crimson four-leaf-clover said to grant the wish of whoever found it, and the only place that one such clover grew was in Akagahara. Over the years, many ninja came to seek glory and procure a clover for themselves, and most, as the stories proclaimed, met their ends in that place. Kakashi knew all of the stories by heart, and even though he believed them to be rubbish, he could not help but be anxious on Monday morning as he walked to the forest with Midori, having met up with her on his way.

"Do you think they're true?" Midori asked, biting one of her nails, without realizing it, down to the quick. "All those stories, I mean?"

"Nah," Kakashi replied confidently, though he felt quite the opposite. He knew that Midori needed encouragement, and showing any inklings of nervousness would not help to boost her spirits. "You'll have Asuma and I at your back if things get rough, anyway, so don't worry about it. We're gonna get through this, you'll see. There're plenty of Chuunins who took the test here, and they obviously didn't die."

"Yeah," Midori said, taking her finger away from her mouth. Kakashi's words
made a lot of sense. "You're right. I just...I don't want to hold either of you back." She looked down. "I'm afraid I'll mess up."

"Shut up," Kakashi said, and wrapped an arm around Midori's head as he would one of the boys. "That's crap, and you know it. Everyone messes up, but all you have to do is get up and keep going. I know you can do that."

Midori smiled, grateful to know that one of her teammates believed in her, though she had a feeling Asuma would say the same thing if he were with them. "I can," she agreed. With more force, she added, "And I will."

Kakashi nodded, grinning. He was silent for a minute, but soon his curiosity won out. "So, Aya's been asking about me, eh?"

The tiny girl's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. She'd been feeding information to Aya throughout the year without Kakashi being any the wiser, but it seemed that she'd finally been found out. "Er..."

"Uh-huh," Kakashi said, looking at Midori through lidded eyes. "Sneak."

Crap. "Er...well...I didn't say anything crazy, I promise!"

"Oh, so she wants to squash me like a bug for no reason."

"NO! I mean...well..." Kakashi continued to look at her the same way, and she faltered. "Okay, so maybe I kinda sorta told her about some of your techniques, but nothing else! Well, not much else..."

"Great," Kakashi said dryly. "That's just great, Midori. Now I've got two wackos on my tail." He sighed. "How fun for me."

Midori could not think of anything to say in response, though she did not have to, as they had reached Akagahara. Quite a few Genins lingered near the gate already, Asuma being one of them, and more were trailing in. When Asuma, yelled to them, Kakashi and Midori made their way over.

"Oh man, I am so ready to just bust in there and rip the place up," Asuma stated, gnawing viciously on his toothpick and tapping a foot in impatience. "This waiting junk is killing me."

"I thought I taught you patience, whipper-snapper," a cheerful voice chided, and a hand ruffled Asuma's hair. Raidon grinned. "Apparently the lesson didn't stick."

"Rai-sensei!" Asuma exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I woke up this morning and decided to take a stroll down the path of life, and it happened to lead me here. Fancy that." All three members of Team 7 groaned at the joke.

"Whatever," Midori said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You've got a reason."

"Extraordinary. Nothing gets past you, little lady." Raidon quipped, his blue eyes twinkling. "Actually, I wanted to make sure that you were all here, because if even one of you had backed out, none of you would be able to take the exam." Kakashi, Asuma, and Midori exchanged startled looks. "However, since my gaggle of ducklings decided to stay together, that isn't an issue, now is it?"

Kakashi, after the initial shock wore off, shook his head, laughing. "You're so weird."

"Thank you," Raidon replied with a theatric bow. "Now scat. I'll be here when you come back through that gate." His smile lit up his entire face. "And I'm sure I've told you guys countless times that I'm proud of you, but I have a selective memory, so who knows?" That earned him laughs. "Eh, you know I'm proud. Go raise some hell."

After assuring Raidon that they would indeed be doing some major hell- raising, Team 7 joined the throng that was beginning to cluster around an imposing man who wore his forehead protector like a head scarf. Midori spotted Aya and waved to her. The dark haired girl waved back, and nudged her teammates so that they would make room. Amidst the chatter and joking that ensued when the two teams came together, Aya's eyes met with Kakashi's. The girl's tiny mouth quirked up and Kakashi felt a strange stirring in the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, and it made him nervous. He swallowed hard.

"Good luck, Hatake," Aya said, not shifting her gaze. The corners of her eyes crinkled. "If you die before I get to fight you, I'll be mad." That caught Kakashi off guard, and he did not know how to reply. Of course, Gai picked that moment to saunter in and start the trash-talking, and Kakashi found that for once, he was actually happy to see him.

"Are you ready, old man?" Gai asked, one hand on his hip. With his other hand, he pointed at Kakashi. "Because there is gonna be pain, I promise."

Kakashi would have shot something sarcastic back at him, but Aya beat him to it.

"From who? You? I've seen the way you fight, Maito Gai. You're too flashy. Maybe if you got serious and stopped trying to show off, you'd pose a threat."

Kakashi was grateful that his mask muffled laughter. Asuma and Obito had paused in their conversation long enough to hear what was going on, and they started sniggering. Gai's mouth opened and closed a few times, his face flushing.

Flashy? I am not flashy! I've got style! That's more than these idiots can say! He glared at Aya. "We'll see about that when we get in there, harpy." With that, he turned his heel and rejoined his teammates, eager to get as far away as possible after his act of bravado. In truth, Aya terrified him, and insulting her was a stupid move. But she deserved it, the brat. Feh.

"So he's your rival? What a pain in the ass." Aya said, grinning.

"Quiet down you lot." The intimidating man's voice boomed, and complete silence followed. The man crossed his arms and his eyes scanned the assembled Genins before him. "All of you have come here with the desire to become Chuunin, but only a select few will be able to attain that rank. I can assure you that out of the thirty people here, not even a quarter will pass. Akagahara is known as 'the Breaker,' and it will break you if you wish to fool around." The man paused, giving the Genins time to process his words. "You have two days to complete the exam. There will be a designated spot on the other end of the forest; go to that place once you have procured a clover. It will be determined there whether you pass or fail." The man's sharp eyes fell on Kakashi. "It is true that only teams of three are permitted take the Chuunin Selection Exam, but once you pass through those gates, that rule is no longer relevant. I will say no more. The clock starts now. Go."

There was nothing anyone could do but obey the man, who did not even bother to give his name. Kakashi had a lot to think about when he took his first step upon the soil of Akagahara, particularly the meaning behind the ominous statement at the end of the examiner's speech. Are we supposed to chuck aside our teammates and only think of ourselves? That doesn't make sense! We were in teams as Genins to promote working with others, right? Something else is going on here. There has to be a deeper meaning. I just need to figure out what it is before it's too late.

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Raidon said to his colleague once the Genins entered Akagahara. He grinned. "You certainly scared 'em all."

Morino Seto looked at Raidon out of the corner of his eyes, and he smiled back. "I suppose I could have elaborated more, but I didn't want to make things too easy. Besides, the only ones who are worthy to become Chuunin are those who can see beneath the surface. Most of those kids think that the only way to pass is to get a clover because they can't think for themselves."

"That bit about ditching your teammates was a nice touch," Raidon complimented. "The psychological battlefield is often more dangerous than the physical one. Many ninja have gotten killed because they didn't take that into account."

Seto nodded, his face unreadable. He started walking towards the gate, and looked back over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

"Of course," Raidon replied, and joined the other Jounin.

"Woah. That examiner reminds me of the man who gave out the written tests the first time we tried for Chuunin, doesn't he? What was his name...I can't remember it." Naruto said, scratching his head.

"Morino Ibiki," Sakura supplied. "And you're right. They do sound a lot alike."

"That's because Ibiki's father was the one who tested me." Kakashi said, smiling at the memory. "A certain type of attitude usually runs in families."

"Well that explains everything," Naruto said, leaning back against the couch. "Morino Ibiki scared the crap out of me. Still, that was clever of his father. I wouldn't have been able to handle a test like that."

Sakura grinned. "You always were a bit of a hothead. I am the one with the brains." Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, and she laughed. "Even so, for a six-year-old, that's a lot of information to handle."

Kakashi raised his brows, nodding. "You guys have been through Akagahara, so you know how it's set up. All those blasted traps everywhere. I'll admit that I was so absorbed in trying to crack the purpose of the exam that I set off quite a few myself. I always was able to dodge at the last second, but only because Asuma or Midori yelled for me to get out of the way. I remember when we were halfway through, I almost blew myself up when I stepped on a mine. That was fun."

"What about the other teams? Did you run into any of them? We had to get those scrolls for ours, so we got into tussles with others over them. It doesn't seem like you'd get much chance to focus on anything but your own behinds in a place like that." Sakura said thoughtfully, images of Akagahara playing through her mind. When they were still Team 7 under Kakashi, Naruto did a favor to Konohamaru and entered the forest in order to get a clover, and Sakura and Saskue had had to go in after him to get him out. There were traps set up at every turn.

"My exam was quite different from yours," Kakashi confirmed. Chief shifted his position and moved to Kakashi's other side, and the silvery haired Jounin picked up an arm to let the dog worm his way under. "The traps kept everyone busy, and I didn't really interact with anyone besides Asuma or Midori until the exam was over. But it was meant to be that way. The battle was inside of ourselves, mostly, not with other people. We had to decide what was more important, following the code that had been set when we became teams, to look out for our comrades, or to pursue our own interests, as Morino Seto suggested. That was the reason the test was so dangerous, and why so many people failed. Midori is the one who saved me. If things had not happened the way that they did, I would not have passed."

By the time Kakashi, Asuma, and Midori reached the clearing where the crimson clovers grew, the sun had already set, and it was getting dark. His more sensible half told Kakashi that now would be a good time to make camp and wait for morning; it would be easier to find a four-leaf clover when there was light, but the other half, the reckless half, said to get it over with now, when no one else was here. The others could arrive at any time, and it would make things more difficult. But, if they were to search now, they could find the clovers and be at the finish zone before daybreak without having to worry about running into anyone else. Asuma was already beginning to scour the field for any sign of a clover with four leaves. The dark haired boy felt the same as Kakashi, and he was not about to let a chance like this pass him by. The only one who hesitated was Midori.

"This seems too easy," Midori said, biting a nail, a nervous habit. "There has to be a trap around somewhere, and since it's dark, we're more likely to set it off." Even though she knew it wasn't a good idea, she waded into the mass of clovers and used her trained eyes to scour the field. Reaching into her belt pouch, she removed a portable flashlight and switched it on. The beam of light illuminated the clovers a few inches from her feet. "Be careful, okay? I don't like this."

"Oh, don't be such a worrywart," Asuma said absently as he crawled on his hands and knees. "Damn it! Where the hell are the freaking things hiding? All of these are three-leaved!"

Kakashi squinted, and pulled out his own flashlight. There was a strange looking statue in the center of the field that he hadn't noticed before, and he wanted to check it out. When he reached it, he crouched down and ran his hands along the surface, searching for a catch or a switch somewhere that would release a trap. He found nothing, and so moved lower. There was a small, hollow opening at the bottom, and he went down on all fours, turning his head to the side and resting it on the ground to peer through. There was a patch of clovers beneath the statue, and, by the glow of the flashlight, he made out four leaves on each.

"Guys! I found them!" Kakashi whispered loudly as he tried to reach through the opening. His hand only went in so far, which was a problem. The clovers were clustered further back, and the only way he could get to them was if the statue was lifted. However, he thought of Midori's words then. This did seem too easy. Moving the statue would mean clovers, yes, but it could also lead to something bad. There was evidence enough of that by the amount of kunai, shuriken, and exploded mines that littered the thicker part of the forest behind them. But what else was left? What other trap could be as bad as the ones they'd already gotten through?

"Are they under that thing?" Asuma whispered when he and Midori were near enough.

"Yeah, but I can't reach 'em."

Asuma shrugged. "I'll bet we can move it enough to let you grab some."

Midori chewed her lip. "I don't know...I guess if we only lift it an inch or two, it shouldn't hurt, but then we need to put it right back. I have a bad feeling about this, though."

In his heart, Kakashi agreed with her. He did not like this situation any more than she, but he could not bring himself to turn away when the clovers were so close. "We can do this. It'll take a couple seconds, and it'll be over."

Asuma went around to one side of the statue, and Midori, sighing, stayed where she was. Together, she and Asuma gripped the statue and tilted it back. There was a slight click that was barely audible if one was not listening for it, but all three heard it just the same. His heart pounding, Kakashi plucked three clovers from the patch and backed out, just in time to witness the puppets that sprang from the ground. The statue toppled over on its side when Asuma and Midori dropped into fighting stance, kunai ready in their hands. Kakashi rolled and jumped to his feet, managing to stuff the clovers in his pouch before a dozen darts whipped past his head.

The army of puppets began their attack without hesitation, spewing poison darts from their mouths, flinging kunai in all directions, punching, kicking. Midori, Asuma, and Kakashi squared off against them, doing their best to hold them off. Asuma had received a pair of iron knuckles for his birthday this past year, and he used them with deadly efficiency, jamming the razor-sharp ends into joints that held the puppets together, smashing them into heads. Kakashi used his speed to take down a few at a time, and Midori fought next to him. The puppets were easily dispatched, but that was not the main concern. Team 7 was outnumbered. For every two puppets that went down, another four burrowed out of the earth and took their places. The longer the children fought, the more tired they became, and it did not help that it was getting darker as the night progressed.

"How do we stop them?" Kakashi yelled as he scissored a leg up and out, catching a puppet in the chest. He turned and rammed another one with his fist. "They just keep coming!"

A wooden arm swung and passed through the air where Midori's head had been a breath earlier. She was panting when she gripped a kunai and planted it through the puppet's foot, holding it in place. "I'm working on it," she said as she aimed a kick at the puppet's head. "Give me a minute."

"We don't have a minute!" Asuma called from his side of the patch. Six crumpled puppets lay at his feet, and he was fighting off a seventh.

"I got it!" Midori exclaimed. "It's the statue! The puppets came when we moved it, so all we need to do is put it back!" She made to move towards the statue, not seeing the puppet that had snuck up on her until she had speared herself upon its short-sword. She looked down at her chest in disbelief before losing consciousness and sliding from the sword to the ground.

"Midori!" Kakashi cried. He looked from his teammate to the puppet, and in one smooth action, knocked the puppet's wooden head from its body. "Asuma! Watch her! I'm going to get the statue!" There was no time to waste. He had to stop the puppets so that they could get Midori to a doctor. If she's still alive, the cynical part of Kakashi thought, and he immediately shook that aside. No, she has to be! I won't let her die!

The statue was much heavier than he imagined it would be, but fear for Midori was driving him, giving him an extra surge of strength that he would not have had otherwise. His energy was sapped by that point. The statue fell back into place with a thud, and one by one, the puppets clattered to the ground, lifeless. Kakashi ran back to the spot where Midori lie, cradled in Asuma's arms. Her face looked like wax, and she was bleeding sluggishly, but she was still alive. Kakashi reached for his pouch to retrieve bandages, but his hand encountered nothing. The pouch was gone. He looked around, panicked, and saw it a few feet away, torn up and mangled, the contents spilled all over.

"I'll be right back," he said to Asuma and went to retrieve the pouch. His heart sank. The three clovers that they had risked their lives for had been smashed to tiny little bits. He gathered up the rest of his pouch and rejoined Asuma and the unconscious Midori, feeling sick.

"It's over."

Asuma gave him a calm look. "The clovers were trashed, huh?"

"Yeah."

The boys were silent for a while, and Kakashi reached out and took Midori's hand. It was cold and clammy to the touch. Her breathing was shallow. Out of nowhere, he could feel rage begin to sear through his heart.

"What is the point to all of this?" He spat. "Who cares about some stupid clover? This whole exam is stupid!" As gently as he could, Kakashi took Midori into his arms and got up. "They can fail me if they want to, I don't really care, but I'm getting Midori out of here. She's dying." His eyes met with Asuma's, and he smiled shakily. "I'm still a kid. There's plenty of time to retake the exam, anyway. I'll understand if you don't want to come with me, though."

Asuma raised an eyebrow as he, too, got to his feet. "Quit with the crap, Max. We started this together, and we're going to end it together. I don't mind waiting a couple more years." He grinned, swaying a bit from exhaustion. "Besides, I'm totally whipped. I'd only flop around like a fish if I stayed out here."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Kakashi replied.

The trip to the end point passed in a haze, and Kakashi did not remember much once he relinquished Midori to one of the Jounins there. He had been led to a makeshift shelter with cots and fell into one, asleep before his head hit the pillow. At one point he'd been woken and fed something, he knew, but that was about it. The next morning, Kakashi came into wakefulness to the sound of voices near his cot, and when he opened his eyes, a face hovered directly in front of him.

"Kashi!" Asia shrieked, and wrapped her tiny arms around him. "I was scared!"

"Asia?" Kakashi was a bit startled, but he hugged his sister back just the same. "What are you doing here, baby girl?"

"She came with us," Haruko said, sitting on the edge of the cot and stroking Kakashi's matted hair away from his forehead. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," Kakashi replied, and tried to sit up, but Akinari helped him. Kakashi smiled at his father, but his expression changed when he remembered Midori. "Where's Midori? Is she okay? We weren't too late, were we?"

"No," Akinari said. "She's in surgery right now, but the doctors say she should be able to recover. If you had waited, she wouldn't have had a chance."

Kakashi sighed in relief. "Good. What about Asuma?"

"Right here," Asuma said, and plopped himself on the other side of the bed next to Asia. The little girl knew her brother's friends, and she insisted that Asuma hold her in his lap, which he did. The next to enter the room was the Hokage himself, followed by Raidon and Morino Seto. Kakashi and Asuma exchanged puzzled looks.

"Well you're awake!" Sandaime said, grinning. "You've had a rough night, it seems."

"He's observant," Asuma muttered, and Raidon could not help but laugh.

"Don't mind my students, Hokage. They are not particular about showing respect."

Sandaime raised his brows. "Reminds me of another youth I once knew," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Anyway, I don't want to keep you in suspense boys, so I'll say this now. Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, I have heard a full account of your conduct during the Chuunin Selection Exam, and as you have both returned unharmed, I hereby promote you to the level of Chuunin. Congratulations." Without further explaination, Sandaime inclined his head and exited, leaving Raidon and Seto behind.

Kakashi and Asuma stared, their eyes wide.

"What the HELL was that?" Asuma finally burst out. "We're Chuunin because we weren't HARMED? Are you JOKING me? And how does he know how we behaved? No one was watching us!"

"I have observers concealed at various places in Akagahara," Seto answered the last inquiry, "So someone did see." He smiled. "And you are Chuunin because you passed the test. It would have been easy for both of you to abandon your teammate and get the clovers for yourselves, but you brought Midori back here instead. You thought of others instead of yourselves, and that is what we need in a Chuunin. There will be people under your command, and you have to know when to advance and when to retreat. You have proven you can do that, and so you are promoted. You will receive your vests in a few days, so until then, relax." With a curt nod, the large man took his leave.

"Has anyone else been made Chuunin?" Kakashi asked, still in shock over his new title.

"Hiro Aya and Ryusaki Obito," Raidon said. "The test is still going on, but there are only a few still out there. But those two are the only others to pass that I know of."

"Oh," Kakashi said absently. "Wait, what about Gai?"

Raidon tapped his chin. "That rascal got himself all cut up. He didn't use his head, I'm afraid." The blond smile wickedly. "And he's going to be fired up at you for beating him again, Kakashi."

"Wonderful," Kakashi said dryly. "Just what I need."

"Oh wow," Sakura breathed. "I can see why you said Midori was the reason you passed." She looked down. "How horrible, though. Did she ever recover?"

"Yes...and no. That exam changed her in ways that could not be reversed. It changed all of us, really. I had to take a good look at myself and where I was going, you know? If Midori hadn't been hurt, I probably would have tried for a clover again, and that knowledge made me sick." He sighed. "But I needed to learn that lesson...even if I forgot it when things started to fall apart."

This chapter was a pain in the you know what to write. I kept going back and changing things because I didn't like how it sounded. Ugh. There will be more about the after-effects of the exam in the next chapter, as well as the introduction of Pakkun! Yay! I know that this exam is different from the one Naruto had to take, but I'm thinking that the exam of the present evolved from this one, you know what I mean? And be on the lookout for Aya, because she is definitley going to have a much larger role in the future ::grins:: As always, I value your opinions, so drop me a review!