Chapter 5

Kiba was feeling confident. Why shouldn't he be? His team has broke through genjustu test along with the written test. Now there were in the Forest of Death and he feared no death. He had the ever calculative and observant Shino on his side and Hinata, their generation's strongest kunoich. He felt like they could take on the world if they wanted to. Soon, he believed that he would become chunin and finally catch up with the blonde idiot. They will be finally be equals. A big grin appeared on his face. Even Akamaru was yipping happily. His dog agreed with him. All they need to do was get the heaven scroll for their earth scroll. Nothing could go wrong.

Shino was feeling nervous. His bugs were buzzing in response as well. There was something or someone if not people 'wrong' in this ,unlike his canine teammate, Shino did no have such a optimistic outlook at the moment. His mind was telling him to get it done with and flee if it was impossible to quit in the first place. With the help of his insects, he was able to trap and ambush a team from Ame. A heaven scroll was in their reach. Before he could convince the team to immediately head for the tower, he noticed the look on the Hyuga heiress' face which was all too familiar. It did not bode well with the friend of the insects. It was the face of determination. The face of one who wants to proves oneself. From then on, Shino knew that he wasn't going to win in anything the following hours against the Hyuga exspecially their fate.

Hinata felt so stupid. What prompted her to think she could take an overpowered psycho. Naruto specifically told her to avoid the silent red-head. What did she do? She ignored all of that and urged her team to take the sand team head on to 'eliminate competition'. At least, they are completing their mission to eliminate the completion. Team 8 was also the completion after all.

Thanks to her weights training, Hinata was dodging fast moving tendrils of sand from every turn and corner of her vision. But it wasn't going to be enough. The sand genin had an almost bottomless pit of Chakra and she was just a human. She will wear out. It was good thing though that Gaara was massively interested in her and her only. Meaning that her team members had a chance to escape and survive. She knew that she just needed a distraction.

While snakily manouvering away from Gaara's sand, Hinata performed a single hand sign and took several explosive tags from her pouch. She then proceeded to throw said tags straight at Gaara's face but their explosions were abruptly blocked by his sand. Gaara evilly chuckled. Hinata stood speechless and terrified now. Gaara did not waste time to wrap her around completely with his sand. "Sand Burial"The Sand teen muttered but no blood came out. Confused, Gaara unclutched his sand burial only to be welcomed by a sight of sakura petals that quickly obscured his sight and drowned him after Temari broke him out of the gengustu,He quickly realized what had happened. That single hand sign was for summoning a clone which she quickly covered up with the explosion tags. The clone proceeded to perform a gengustu technique to cut off his attention to Leaf genin team enough for them to escape.' But it did more than that', Gaara fumed to himself. Genjustu was a common weakness of the jinchuruki. Gaara mentally raged. He knew what that meant. She was long gone.

Hinata was honestly surprised. She didn't imagine her plan working. It was something she worked off of Naruto's tactics.l guess it was bound to work since well... Its Naruto's. She didn't expect to see the Sand teen to be easily overwhelmed by genjustu. It was a fluke. All she could do was spiritually thank her sensei, The Genjustu Mistress and Naruto for pushing her into asking for apprenticeship. In spite of her win, Naruto would not be ecstatic to hear if this. That she knew of her overprotective boyfriend.

Kiba, Akamaru and Shino were hurt all over. They gave their female teammate a look which she returned full force with a bashful sheepish look."Pain has become a constant friend of us. Why? Because of your stubbornness" Hinata hung her head in exsparation. Shino never minced his words when vexed. All subtleties thrown out of the window. She did all she could to patch them up. She had little knowledge of medical jusu but had her healing palm which wonders to ease their pain. It was miracle enough that she escaped with their lives. Of course, Shino was awoke to move on his own but was too weak to walk with any burden on him. It was up to Hinata to carry both Kiba and Akamaru on her shoulders away from the monster of a shinobi. Hinata was exhausted physically and Chakra wise but nothing one of Kiba's pills couldn't fix or lessen. Team 8 consisted of survivalists. If they could survive Naruto's constant hounding, Kiba beleaved that they could survive anything.

Kurenai was not too charred by the rugged appearance of her students. How could she when her team was the third team to arrive on record behind the kumo and sound team. Her's which was supposed to be the rookie team of the rookie jounin. After a few pats and few good we'll rehearsed speeches of encouragement, she shushed them away. Kurenai felt so proud. Especially of Hinata, her favorite student which isn't something she didnt openly admit but is old news to everyone else. Hinata had grown exceptionally well since the day she took up to guard her as a chunin during the young girl's Academy days. It was a small push that changed everything. So wonderfully drastic that it inspired her to take up her role as an instructor as soon as she achieved her position as a inspire and strengthen future generations to come. The Sandaime was kind enough to let her instruct her shining star more officially. Even so, she knew that she will find more satisfaction in instructing more generations as Kakashi's philosophies

Naruto was hosting the Chunin exams for some reason as a "special guest". Kurenai's feelings for the boy were mixed as first. She did not hate the boy but she feared him deeply than she ever at first. She knew that the young chunin only imprisoned the Kyuubi as she was heavily sermoned by both Anko and Sarutobi but she also knew that the Kyuubi was the most feared and dangerous living entity in the elemental nations. But things changed when she learned of Hinata's crush for the jinchuruki as well as the young boy's boisterous and caring nature for her star pupil. Things go lt easier when the young genius became more involved with Team 8 and her personally after he asked for genjustu lessons. She did not have flashes of him suddenly turning into a red beast or shiver at his stare or stumble back when he got closer especially after she caught the hurt in his eyes as she did those things. Naruto is a good shinobi and a greater person. "Let the prematches begin, hosted by the greatest shinobi of all, Naruto Uzumaki!" He's also certainly a special kind of shinobi. Not all subtle.

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A/N

My writing is lame so my actions scenes are lame. You guys don't review so why should care anyways.