Part 1.1: A Most Important Announcement

That had been four months ago, and it seemed that Gai-sensei had been good on his word. Although Gai wasn't the best jutsu teacher (A jutsu only goes as far as the man who uses it. Build yourself up first, so that you may not even need it. –Gai Sensei), and most of his 'pearls of wisdom' made little sense, he could not find fault in Gai's training methods. Which were even by normal standards, rigorous and horribly exhausting. Naruto could see why even someone with as little talent as Lee could prosper under his methods.

"All right my students, gather round, I have a most important announcement to make." Gai said with a bit more enthusiasm than usual.

TenTen and Naruto halted what was left of their training walked across the practice field to the rock where Gai-Sensei had perched himself. However, Lee continued with his exercises; he looked almost like he was in a trance. Either he had not heard his sensei speak, or he did not care.

"Lee," said TenTen, "Gai-sensei is calling for us." Still no reply, he continued his rhythmic kicking of the log, seemingly lost in his own movements. "Lee, LEE!" she said so loud that the next village over might have heard it. Lee still didn't move. It was almost like he was in another world. Naruto rolled his eyes in disdain, 'He's always like this anymore,' he thought, 'He usually snaps out of it eventually though.'

However, Gai would not wait. Naruto could read the annoyance on his face, and Gai was very impatient when he wanted someone's attention. Suddenly, he jumped from his rock and sprinted towards Lee, blowing leaves into the air as he passed by. He stopped suddenly by the log Lee was kicking, making the dirt pile up at his feet at the sudden halt. Still, Lee did not seem to even notice how Gai's movements made his bowl hair move sporadically in the wind, gently slapping him in the face.

"Huaaah, YOU FOOL!" shouted Gai. He quickly followed up his comment with a fierce punch to the face, sending Lee sprawling backwards. Naruto was shocked the first time Gai had done this, but with Lee's mindset being so focused on training, it was a very common occurrence. Now, he just watched absentmindedly as Gai continued to berate his student back to reality.

Lee slowly got up, almost as if he was coming out of deep sleep. The sight of his angry sensei getting ready to throw another punch at him woke him from his trance quickly though. He rose quickly to his feet, eyes completely open, his stance in a very shaky salute.

"Yes Gai-Sensei, I understand Gai-Sensei...Sorry Gai-Sensei," Lee blurted out very quickly. It was the same thing he said every time Gai reprimanded him.

"Lee, one must always pay attention to their sensei's most knowledgeable pearls of wisdom. Hard-work comes in many forms Lee, and listening to your sensei is one of them," Gai lectured him, as he always seemed to do after a physical attack.

"I see.", said Lee, and he quickly pulled out his notepad and began frantically writing every word Gai spoke, as if it were some holy doctrine.

"Now," said Gai, finally retaining his composure, "sit with your youthful peers, and listen to the words of your sensei, so that your youth will not be spent in vain."

Lee nodded, and quickly joined Naruto and TenTen by Gai's posing rock. Gai quickly reappeared in a puff of smoke, back on his rock, ready to give whatever speech he had brought them here for.

"Well then," said Gai, "I have some most important information for you from our Hokage Tsunade-sama..."

'Tsunade,' thought Naruto, 'I haven't heard from her for nearly four months. I wonder what our illustrious, chronic-gambling, foul-mouthed Hokage has to say now."

"So," interrupted Naruto, "What's the old woman got to say to us."

He felt a sharp slap come across his face after the end of this comment. TenTen yelled, "Idiot, show some respect to Tsunade-Sama." Naruto shot a dirty look at TenTen before he began to rub his cheek to dull the pain, which only served to remind him that his hand was probably broken when he used it.

Gai chuckled, and continued on, "Anyway, Hokage-sama has requested the presence of a few Genin teams, along with their Jounin Senseis for a most special and important announcement concerning an upcoming event for Konoha."

Lee suddenly stopped in his furied writing of Gai's words and shot his hand up in the air. "Oh, Gai-Sensei, Gai-Sensei, Gai-Sensei, Gai-Sensei!" he repeated, hysterically trying to get his teacher's attention, even though he was only 2 feet away from him.

"Yes Lee."

"Does this have to do with the upcoming Chuunin exam to take place only a month from now Gai-Sensei?"

Naruto furrowed his brow. Finally, after having finally put the pieces together, he asked, "Wait, wait, there's a second Chuunin exam?"

"Oh course you idiot," said TenTen, eliciting another dirty look from Naruto, "there are two Chuunin exams every year so that those who failed the first can still pursue the Chuunin rank with what they learned in the first one."

"Quite right TenTen," said Gai, "but Hokage-sama has not given me any information about this meeting. However," to which he changed his pose to where he turned to the sun, reflecting the sunlight off his overly white teeth in a dazzling smile, "using my amazing deductive and reasoning skills, I am almost assured that your suspicions are correct. And if I'm wrong," to which he switched once again to his usually 'nice-guy' pose, "I'll do 10,0000 laps around the practice range with a 200 pound log on my back."

"Wow, isn't Gai-Sensei incredible!" shouted Lee, as if he were trying to eliminate any doubt of otherwise in anybody around.

Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes at that comment, "Yeah, he's something alright," he said.

"Thank you," said Gai, "but for now, you all have the rest of the day to yourselves. Just meet back at Hokage-sama's office in about three hours. Don't be late and waste your passionate youth on frivolous pursuits."

The team began to separate. Naruto suspected Tenten was going back to here house, wherever that was. Lee stayed behind, no doubt to attempt Gai's passionate promise that he doubted even a Hokage could accomplish. He however, would take Gai-Sensei's words to heart and spend his youth on a 'most important task'. Dinner.