"Well I am sure you can all guess why I have gathered you here," says Lord Third, surveying the gathered jounin senseis.
"Is it that time of year already?" asks Kakashi.
"Have you informed the lords of the other lands?" asks Genma. "I think I saw some of them in our village already."
"Wait, are we getting invaded?" asks Shisui, a look of panic on his face.
Everyone else facepalms.
"No you idiot," says Iruka, wondering who decided it was a good idea to make Shisui a jounin sensei. "It's time for the chunin exams."
"Shisui," says Asuma. "You need to snap out of your post-make-out-session euphoria."
Shisui goes very red. "How did you know?" he asks, sounding half embarrassed and half in awe.
"You were tidying up your clothes when you arrived," says Asuma. "Your observational skills are 80% lower than normal, your hair's a mess and you have a fresh bite mark just below your collar. Need I say more?"
Shisui goes white. "Please don't tell Fugaku sama!"
Lord Third clears his throat.
The jounin fall to attention, Asuma still grinning and Shisui still pale.
"Let's just get down to business," says Lord Third. "One week from today, on July the First, we will begin conducting the Chunin Selection Exams. Now then, I think we should hear from those jounin overseeing our newest genin. Kakashi sensei, Asuma sensei, Kurenai sensei; do you have any students you believe to be ready for the Chunin Exam? Bear in mind that in order to qualify, they must have completed a minimum of eight missions. Aside from that, your own word that they are ready is enough. However, to truly be able to compete, candidates should have completed at least double the recommended number of missions."
Iruka personally thinks that if these jounin recommend their teams, the other candidates will be the ones to worry about.
"Kakashi, you may begin," says Lord Third.
Kakashi sensei steps forward. "I, Kakashi Hatake, leader of Team Seven, which consists of Sasuke Uchiha, Madoka Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki, hereby recommend all three of my students for the Chunin Selection exam."
Iruka feels a stab of pity for the other chunin exam contestants.
Then Asuma sensei steps forward. "Asuma Sarutobi, leader of Team Ten, which consists of Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi and ino Yamanaka. I also recommend all three of my students for the Chunin Selection exam."
Iruka wonders if the test will be alright. That's three members of the Prankster Gang right there.
Kurenai steps forward next. "I, Kurenai Yuhi, leader of Team Eight of Konoha, recommend my students Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka for the Chunin Selection exam."
Iruka slaps his hands over his mouth to stop an explosive laugh from escaping. This is gonna be the best chunin exams ever.
"Now we shall hear from the team leaders of last year's graduates," says the Hokage. Gai sensei, Shisui sensei, have you any students you would like to recommend for the Chunin Selection exam?"
Might Gai steps forward first. "I, Might Gai, leader of Team Three, which consists of Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee and Tenten, recommend all three of my students for the Chunin Selection exam."
Iruka wonders if the jounin are trying to one-up each other. Rivalry is an odd thing.
Then Shisui steps forward. "I, Shisui Uchiha, leader of Team Five, recommend my three students, Sai, Shin and Karin Uzumaki for the Chunin Selection exam."
"Uzumaki?" says Lord Third, frowning. "There are no records that Karin of Team Five is an Uzumaki."
"She is," says Shisui. "You better put it on your records, Lord Hokage."
Interesting, Karin is using her clan name now. Iruka wonders what influenced her to do so. Iruka is looking forward to seeing how these Exams pan out.
Temari of the Hidden Sand feels her blood run cold. Slowly she turns to the tree the blue haired Leaf kunoichi is sitting in. Sure enough, standing upside down on a branch close to leaf kunoichi is Temari and Kankuro's little brother, Gaara. Gaara, to put it lightly, is in a delicate mental state. Thankfully, Gaara only seems mildly annoyed instead of angry.
"G-Gaara!" stammers Kankuro.
"You are a complete idiot, and I am ashamed to be related to you," says Gaara. "How dare you lose control of yourself in a simple argument with little children?"
Temari agrees wholeheartedly, but doesn't say so, in case it annoys Gaara. He always gets annoyed when he thinks she or Kankuro are buttering up to him.
"But Gaara!" whines Kankuro. "They started it! The little guy slammed into me!"
Temari has had enough. She grabs Kankuro by the ear and yells right into it. "Stop behaving like a five year old! We are not here to make ourselves look like morons!" she lectures him.
"Kankuro if you do something like this again, I will kill you," says Gaara.
"I'm sure that won't be necessary, Gaara," says Temari, trying to make it seem to the Leaf ninjas that Gaara isn't serious. "He won't do it again!" she tries to laugh. Hopefully the Leaf kids are as stupid as they look.
In a swirl of sand, Gaara teleports himself from the tree to the footpath beside Temari and Kankuro. "I know we are early," says Gaara. "But we are not here to kid around." He turns and starts to walk away from the Leaf ninjas. "Let's go."
"Wait!" calls the pink haired boy.
"Yes?" says Gaara, turning around.
"According to your headband, you are from the Village Hidden in the Sand, correct?" asks the pink boy. "Our countries are allies, but according to our treaty, ninja from your country need a permit to cross our borders-"
"NERD!" yells the blonde boy.
"SHADDUP, NARUTO!" yells the pink boy. "IF THEY DON'T HAVE PERMITS, THEN WE CAN'T JUST LET THEM WANDER AROUND THE VILLAGE!"
The blonde boy, Naruto, turns to Temari and her brothers. "Do you have permits, 'tebayo?" he asks casually.
"Yes," says Temari, holding up her permit. "We are here for the chunin exams."
Naruto's eyes widen. "Is it really chunin exam time?! I wondered when they were going to be! Hey, Madoka!" he slaps the pink haired boy in the shoulder. "Do you think Kakashi sensei will let us take part?"
"The chunin exams?" says the pink boy, Madoka. "But we only graduated a few months ago. There's no way we're ready, right Sasuke?"
"I can't take part anyway," says the blue haired girl. "I'm grounded."
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DYED YOUR HAIR BLUE!" Yells Madoka.
"I was already grounded," says the girl, Sasuke, blushing bright red.
"Aw, that sucks," says Naruto. "Maybe I can talk to your Dad?"
"Wouldn't work," says Sasuke, crossing her arms and turning her head away indignantly. Then she jumps down beside her teammates and...hides behind Naruto? Is this girl shy or something? Temari is not sure what to think of this girl who is super confident in a fight but who hides in shyness once it's over.
"Uh, Sasuke, what are you doing?" asks Naruto in confusion.
"Shut up!" snaps Sasuke.
Naruto shrugs and says, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, who are you three?"
Temari is taken aback by his forwardness and responds kinda nervously. "I'm Temari and these two weirdos are my brothers, Kankuro and Gaara."
"How come one of your brothers is dressed like a kitty?" asks Naruto.
"I am not!" protests Kankuro.
"We are leaving," says Gaara, firmly. "I don't want to catch stupid."
"Gaara, stupid isn't contagious," laughs Naruto. "You're funny! I like you! Wanna be my friend?"
Temari's blood freezes. Why would he even ask that?
Gaara stares at Naruto for a few seconds then turns away and says, "Why would I want to be friends with a loser like you?" Then he shunshins away.
Temari laughs nervously and shunshins after Gaara. Kankuro follows close behind.
Up in a tree near the now arguing Konoha genin team, a team of genin from the Hidden Sound are watching with interest.
"So what do you think?" asks Zaku Abumi.
"The blue haired girl might be a problem," says Kin Tsuchi.
"I am interested in the Uzumaki and the red haired Sand boy," says Dosu Kinuta. "The rest do not interest me."
"The nerd definitely won't be a problem," smirks Zaku. "And the other two Sand genin look like they are just there to make a full team. But the Uchiha is probably pretty strong."
"Maybe," says Dosu. "But she is not on our level, and certainly nowhere near that Sand boy's level."