Caution: Before you read any further, be warned that there may be spoilers for those who aren't fully updated. I'm up to date on both the manga and anime.

Time: This takes place somewhere, I'm not sure where, but there has nothing to do with his seal and he hasn't left yet. Also, they know all their jutsus shown in the manga and anime. I'm sorry if some of it is hard to understand because some of the information comes late in the manga/anime. Tsunade is now Godaime.

Last Notes: I put some Japanese in this fanfic so if you don't understand, just look to the bottom of each chapter and it'll show the relative translation. As for jutsus, I put the English in parenthesis, but it might not describe a whole if you're not familiar with it. Hopefully it's all easy to understand though. Thanks for reading and a review would be nice. I like both encouraging comments and constructive criticism as well. Again, thanks everyone!

Chapter Four

Tirasu laughed as she clapped her hands, "Well done, Haro, Keiji, Kiri. You may go rest now; we shall talk later. Dismissed!"

Tirasu waved her hands solidly and at once the three disappeared. Tirasu looked over her shoulder to look at Kakashi, "They pretend to be strong, but I'm sure they've lost a lot of chakra. They always try to push their limits, making them stronger. It's what I like about them."

Kakashi nodded as he knelt next to his student. Sakura, being the first to awake, blinked her eyes. "Eh? Kakashi-sensei, what happened?" she asked as she saw Naruto and Sasuke lying on the ground, "Did they fight again?!"

Kakashi smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry about it Sakura, you're all fine now, but it seems like I have some training to do with you guys."

Sakura nodded as she tried to gather what had happened before she blanked out, "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, where's the three Mist Nin?"

Kakashi put his book in his pocket as he held Sasuke on his shoulder and Naruto on the other, "Don't worry about them, we'll meet again."

Tirasu walked up to Sakura, "You seem like such a polite girl. I know! How about I treat you and your team to dinner tonight? You just pick the place."

Sakura's eyes brightened, "Really Tirasu-san? Arigatou!"

----------

Tsunade stood atop the balcony with the four Hokage's faces standing stiff behind her. That Tirasu, doesn't seem like a typical inspector. Throughout all my years in Konoha, all of them were down to business and quite serious, not like the one here now. Is the Mist planning something? Are they mocking us? We just got over a war, are they, suspecting something?

Tsunade turned to face the cliff with the carved faces, scanning all four, her eyes landed on her grandfather, hmm… what would you think of this?

----------

Naruto's eyes blinked open to see the white ceiling. "Huh? Where am I?" he muttered.

"You're in the hospital," returned a voice.

Naruto sat up and found Kakashi sitting relaxed on a chair reading his perverted book, "Ne, Kakashi-sensei, what happened?"

Kakashi looked up from his book, "Did you hit your head that hard?"

Naruto looked up as if trying to see his forehead. Taking a hand and placing it on the bandage wrapped around his head, he winced. "Ite…"

Kakashi stared at Naruto amazed, "Oh, then I guess the forehead protector did you no good either. That must have been one heck of a fight you had with the three Mist Nin."

Suddenly, Naruto's memory flooded right into him, "Oh! That's right, Sasuke, Sakura-chan and me were fighting against the… uh, other team. Eh, by the way, where's Sasuke?"

Kakashi stood up and pulled the curtain aside. Sasuke was still unconscious with Sakura leaning at the side. Eh, Sasuke, thought Naruto, you too? Were they just, too much for us?

Kakashi leaned against the wall, reading his book again, "Well, you're lucky they're not the killing-type Naruto. But this also means you have a lot of training to do."

Naruto smiled, "Yosh! Wait, what time is it?"

Sakura looked at him confused, "An hour past noon, why?"

"Aah!!! I missed lunch!" cried Naruto.

Sakura stared at him, he's just been through a near-humiliating fight, from what I remember, and it seems as if nothing happened at all.

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open to hear the sound of Sakura's voice, "Sasuke-kun you're awake! How are you feeling?"

Sasuke sat up and shook his head to try and collect himself. Suddenly realizing something, he looked at Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, where are the three Mist Nin? Where's Haro?"

Kakashi didn't look up from reading, "They're gone doing who knows what. But we'll see them again tonight. Tirasu-san invited us to dinner."

Sasuke made fists, creasing the hospital's bed sheets, "Chikushou…"

Sakura tried to move on to happier thoughts, "Ne, Naruto, Sasuke-kun, the doctors said that you guys could be released as soon as you were awake, so you guys won't miss the dinner."

Naruto blew out, relieved, "Phew, I thought I was going to miss it. So where are we going?"

Sakura looked at Naruto, "I haven't decided yet, Tirasu-san said that we could choose."

Naruto had on a dreamy face with drool coming down the side of his mouth. Sakura shrunk back, "Eh?! Oh no, Naruto, we are NOT going to Ichiraku Ramen for all you can eat."

Naruto grinned devilishly.

----------

Haro, Keiji and Kirisu breathed deeply as they rested on the forest's tree branches. Haro sat with his back to the trunk and his hands between his legs, "Well, at least we beat them."

Keiji nodded as he leaned his arm against another tree's trunk, "Yeah, but at what cost. You 'know' how Tirasu-sensei thinks of us using high-level jutsus, especially when they take a lot of chakra in a situation and mission such as this."

Haro sighed, "Yeah I know, but what's the point in learning these things if you can't show off."

Keiji laughed, "Is that all you care about? To show off?"

Haro pouted, "Hey! Hey! I happen to 'like' showing off."

Keiji smiled to his friend, "Yeah, but it's a pity how you don't have the Sharingan yet. It should come soon."

Haro shook his head depressingly, "No, I doubt it'll even come. Even though I carry strong Uchiha blood from my mom, it may not be strong enough to actually get me the Sharingan eyes."

Keiji would have replied, but Kirisu sent him a warning look. Leaping to her branch, he questioned, "What is it, Kiri?"

Kirisu pointed in front of her and Keiji squinted in that direction, "Yo, Haro, we have company."

Haro turned his head, "Who is it?"

Keiji laughed, "That's a stupid question. We don't know anyone except the Hokage, Kakashi and his team here in Konoha."

Haro rolled his eyes, "Fine, them describe them. What do they look like?"

Keiji squinted his eyes some more, "It looks like, another three-man team. And, it seems that they're headed right for us."

Haro's eyes glinted with a tint of fire, "Another fight?"

Keiji looked back at him, "Haro, you haven't recovered enough to go through another fight. And if Kakashi's team took that much energy out of you, then how much do you think 'this' team will take out of you?"

Haro shrugged, "Hey, if it's a fight, then it's a fight. They're the possible challengers anyhow."

Keiji exhaled, "You're right. I'll go see what they want. Kiri, watch over Haro. You guys know what to do, just in case."

Kiri nodded, but didn't move as she continued to stare at the approaching visitors.

Keiji dashed forward, after getting close enough, he stopped and the team stopped as well. Keiji stood straight with his arms crossed, "What do you guys want?"

The one in the green spandex made a pose, "I, Rock Lee, heard that you overwhelmed Sasuke-kun's team in a battle."

Keiji stood as calm and collected as ever. "You mean the Uchiha? Then you are correct. Who are you? And what do you want?" he repeated.

The one with the blank eyes took a slight step forward in front of Lee, whose eyes were burning with a passionate fire. "We came to challenge you to a one on one duel. My team of three against your team of three."

Keiji raised a brow, his arms still crossed, "And you are?"

"Hyuuga Neji."

The girl in the pink blouse spoke up, her eyes almost in a dream as she looked at Keiji, "From all this talking, we should really know who 'you' are. I'm Tenten."

Keiji's expression didn't change, "Tsuki Keiji."

Tenten seemed happy to hear his name as she repeated it to herself, "Tsuki, Keiji… ah…"

Neji stopped Tenten, "Well then, let's go on. Take us to your team."

Keiji shook his head. "That won't be necessary," he spoke as he snapped his fingers.

Immediately, Kirisu and Haro appeared, Haro was on one knee and Kirisu was leaning against the trunk. Neji looked at Haro and grinned, hmph, looks like Uchiha's team really took it out of that one. Nodding, Neji spoke, "Shall we begin then? I will allow you to choose whom to face. And because we are the challengers, we will tell you who your first opponent is."

Lee took a step forward, "Your first opponent shall be me."

Keiji, Haro and Kirisu studied Lee up and down to try and gain a clue as to how he fought. After a while, both Haro and Keiji looked at Kirisu, while Kirisu looked back. "Go on," encouraged Keiji, "You work best with speed."

Lee's eyes narrowed, how did 'they' know I was for speed?

Kirisu nodded as she stepped forward to meet with Lee. Lee blushed a slight pink, but shook his head as he introduced himself, "I'm Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, Rock Lee! And you are?"

Keiji spoke for her, "She's Makana Kiri from the Mist."

Lee was a little bit annoyed with Keiji having to answer for her, but nevertheless continued, "Ready? Ichi, Ni, San!!!"

Lee charged forward at Kirisu, but she had simply jumped up to dodge it. Neji, at the sidelines was surprised, but did not show it, she's good, and it looks like you have a rival already, Lee.

Kirisu spun gracefully in the air as she landed softly on the branch, leaves rustled as they twirled in light circles to the ground. Lee leaped, bouncing off the sides of the tree trunks, "Konoha Gouriki Senpuu (Leaf Herculean Whirlwind)!"

Kirisu tipped backwards, causing Lee's kick to miss. Lee landed at the very spot Kirisu had been previously standing and after barely just reaching ground he was violently shoved forward. Kirisu had fallen backwards, gained momentum from the fall and swung right back up on the other side by attaching herself to the branch with chakra. She had twisted herself around, so that she was able to land a flat palm on the back of Lee's body. Managing to grab a branch and swing over, Lee rested there, squatted to the ground. A wave of pain shot through his body as he led a hang to the spot where he was hit. Chikushou, what move was that? She just 'had' to hit me right there, its effects still haven't left me. I can't let her hit that spot again.

Seeing the Lee kid in great pain, Haro couldn't help, but warn him, "Watch out man. Once Kiri hits you with that move the first time, most likely she won't hit you again in any other spot."

Lee didn't move from his perch. Great, that gives a lot of reassurance. Whatever happens, I can't let her hit it again. I don't even know what that move was, but it did a lot of damage. I can't afford any more mistakes, he thought as he removed his weights. Placing them on the branch, he had to jump off in order to avoid falling, as the branch couldn't support the burden of the weights. Kiri watched as the weight and branches fell to give a heavy thud to the ground. Lee held up a flat palm towards himself with a hand behind his back, "Yosh! No more fooling around."

----------

"Tirasu-san, I need to speak with you," said Tsunade as she knocked on the room door.

"Just a minute!" called Tirasu from the other side.

Tsunade waited patiently until the door creaked open and Tirasu stepped out, "What it is Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade smiled a bit nervously, "Euh, oh oh, it's nothing. I was just wondering how the inspection was going."

Tirasu smiled. "It's going great, all in here," she said as she took out a scroll from her pocket.

Tsunade nodded at the scroll then turned back to Tirasu, "How much longer do you think you will be staying here?"

Tirasu held her smile as she walked down the hallway, leaving Tsunade behind, "Oh, not much longer, not until I've gathered enough information."

Tsunade stared after the lady with a serious look, not until she's gathered enough information?

Arigatou: thank you

Ite: it hurts/ow

Yosh: yes/okay

Chikushou: d it

Ichi, ni, san: one, two, three