"Hey, you with the blue hair!" Rock Lee calls down to the three other genin standing in the hall below him.
The three younger children look up at Lee in surprise.
"What do you want?" asks the blonde one.
Lee Ignores him and focuses on the Uchiha. "Fight me, blue hair."
The Uchiha nods.
Lee jumps down, landing in a perfect Youthful Pose of Badassary, and says, "Then let us fight, Uchiha. I am Rock Lee."
"Why do you wanna fight Sasuke?" asks the blonde, crossing his arms.
"I wish to test myself against a member of the legendary Uchiha clan," explains Lee. "And I will not go easy on you, even though you are a girl."
"Good," says Sasuke, and runs towards Lee, primed for the attack.
Lee, moving faster than the human eye can follow, runs forward and aims a kick at Sasuke's head. "Leaf Hurricane!"
Sasuke ducks, an expression of confusion on her perfect face. Lee follows up by turning on his hands and aiming another kick at Sasuke's head. With no time to dodge this time, Sasuke raises her hands and blocks with crossed wrists. The force of Lee's kick sends her flying backwards anyway. Lee feels a thrill of excitement when Sasuke gets back up and grins.
"I wonder," says Sasuke. "What is the secret behind your speed?" her eyes turn red and black. Sharingan.
"So you posses the sharingan eye," says Lee. "That does not matter to me because you cannot read my movements.
Sasuke frowns and runs at Lee, determination written all over her face.
Lee kicks her towards the ceiling then launches himself after her, floating underneath her like a shadow. "Dancing Leaf Shadow."
"Why can't I see through your attacks?" asks Sasuke.
"Because your eyes see through ninjutsu and genjutsu, but I am using only taijutsu," explains Lee. "Even if you could see through my attacks, you would not be able to do anything unless you were better, stronger and faster than me in taijutsu. You have a powerful doujutsu and natural talent, but those things are nothing next to the skill I train every day to reach and grow." Lee starts to unwind the bandages around his hands and forearms. "Now let me show you the difference between talent and hard work."
"Stop! Lee, that is enough!" Gai sensei's summon turtle, Ningame, appears and nails one of Lee's bandages to a wall with a shuriken, causing Lee to fall crashing to the ground.
Sasuke continues on her dangerously fast trip to the nearest wall. The blonde boy pulls out a brush and draws on the ground with lightning speed. "Fuin: Temporal Distortion!" A black line speeds across the floor and forms a circular barrier around Sasuke. Sasuke's movement slows down by 90%, allowing her to land safely. Once Sasuke is safely on the ground,the boy releases the barrier seal. Lee wishes he had challenged that boy instead of Sasuke. He would not have had time for two fights, even if Ningame had not interrupted. Maybe some other time.
But Lee has no time to regret who he challenged. Ningame is talking to him. "Lee, you know the rules, that move is strictly forbidden!"
"I am sorry," apologises Lee. "Please forgive me. I was only…"
Ningame gives Lee the severest of looks.
"I was not going to use…" Lee tries to explain.
"Idiot!" snaps the turtle. "I am not interested in your excuses! Think about the repercussions of blatantly explaining your secrets to your opponent!"
"But isn't shinobi combat 90% explaining your motives, techniques and life story to your opponent?" asks the blonde boy. "And since when were turtles ninjas?"
"Kakashi has trained you well, it seems," says a booming voice, as Gai sensei appears in a whirl of smoke, perched upon Ningame's shell.
The three younger genins yell in fright.
"WAHH! THOSE EYEBROWS ARE ALIVE!" screams the blonde kid.
"Do not make fun of Gai sensei!" Lee defends his sensei with zeal.
"Oh shut up!" yells the blonde kid. "Yours are nearly as freaky!"
Lee is about to retort in kind when Gai sensei says, "Lee."
"Yes, Gai sensei?" asks Lee.
Gai sensei punches Lee. "Idiot!" he says.
Lee understands exactly what he did wrong now. He let his emotions and self-pride get in the way of his good judgement. Lee starts crying, rivers of tears streaming from his eyes.
Gai sensei is disappointed, but he hugs Lee just the same. "That's enough, Lee," he says. "I understand that you are young and the young make mistakes." he stands, and places a comforting hand on Lee's shoulder.. "Unfortunately, I cannot let this slide. After the chunin exams you will run around the village 1,000 times!"
"Yes Gai sensei!" says Lee, wiping his tears. Gai sensei always knows best!
Then Gai sensei turns to the other three genins. "How is Kakashi sensei?" he asks. "I have not seen much of him lately."
"Um… how do you know Kakashi sensei?" asks the blonde kid, crossing his arms.
Gai sensei shunshins behind them and says, "We are eternal rivals."
"Oh, so who's winning?" asks the blonde kid.
"Unfortunately, Kakashi is winning by one point," says Gai sensei.
"Is that because he's gotten laid?"
Gai sensei falls to his knees in defeat, a black cloud hanging over his head. "Kakashi, your student is a savage!" he mourns.
Lee feels Gai sensei's pain.
Kakashi sensei's students grin, laugh and smirk respectively and shunshin away. They are truly worthy rivals.
When team Seven arrives at room 301, Kakashi sensei appears. "Well, it looks like you all made it," he says. "Sasuke, how did you manage to sneak past your parents?"
"Shisui," says Sasuke.
Kakashi sensei laughs. "One day your father is going to catch Itachi and Shisui together, and on that day Shisui may end up in hospital."
"On that day, I think Shisui will leave the village for a while," says Naruto.
"All the same, the fact that all three of you are here means you can participate," says Kakashi sensei.
"Well if someone hadn't turned up - looking at you Sasuke - I would've gone and got them," Naruto says. "I know about that rule from Iruka sensei's many attempts at getting through the chunin exams with hopeless teams."
"Well, that's alright then," says Kakashi sensei.
"Also, we met some ugly dude claiming to be your rival," says Madoka. "Naruto knocked him down with one sentence."
"Oh? What did he say?" asks Kakashi sensei, curiously.
"Well," says Madoka, taking a deep breath. "Gai sensei said he was your rival, and Naruto asked who was winning, and then Gai sensei said you were, by one point, and Naruto asked if that was because you've gotten laid and then Gai sensei got all depressed."
"Naruto, you are cold and ruthless, and I am proud of you," says Kakashi sensei, patting Naruto on the head.
Naruto beams.
"Well, now that you are ready, you better get your butts in there and give 'em hell," says Kakashi sensei.
"Yes, sensei!" choruses Team Seven and walk into the exam room.
Hundreds of cold eyes turn to glare at them as they enter.
Jiraiya the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, one of the Legendary sannin, is on his way to a particularly juicy - popular. He means popular - hot spring to do some research. As he is pondering what kind of plot twist he should have in his net novel - he's never done a real plot twist before, so it will be a fun experiment - Jiraiya passes the crossroads that divides the path to his destination from the path to the Hidden Leaf. Jiraiya stops and looks back at the crossroads.
It's been so long since he went to the Leaf.
There is plenty of eye-candy in the Hidden Leaf. Maybe the inspiration he is missing is there.
Sarutobi sensei has been trying to convince him to return for ages. Apparently there are a couple of people Jiraiya needs to meet. Sensei won't say who they are though, just that they've been looking after Naruto. Strangely, that is all Kakashi will say too.
Naruto.
"You can't avoid him forever," Jiraiya tells himself and turns back to go to the Hidden Leaf.