XXXIII: The Beginning

Konoha, One Month, Ten Days ago:

It was the day before the Chunin exams began. Naruto and Hinata were walking home from Ichiruka ramen when they bumped into Konohamaru.

"Boss!" He shouted when he saw Naruto. "Where have you been?"

"I was on a mission for a while, then I had training for the Chunin exams. Sorry I've been really busy".

"You're taking the Chunin exam?" Konohamaru bounced around excitedly, "Hey, boss I'm gonna graduate next year, Do you think you could be my Jonin Sensei?"

"I doubt it; I think there's a bunch of tests you have to take to qualify as a sensei." Naruto shuddered, "and I hate tests."

"Aww…"

"Besides I haven't even made Chunin yet. But if it makes you feel better I promise to teach you a few of my moves later okay?"

"Yeah!" Konohamaru danced with joy, before stopping and looking at his watch, "Oh crap! I'm gonna be late! Ebisu-sensei will kill me! Bye Boss!"

"Wh-who was that Naruto-kun? And why was he calling you b-boss?"

"That was Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson."

"And he wants you, instead of his g-grandfather to t-train him?"

"Well…I did beat the Hok…" a loud scream interrupted Naruto "That sounds like Konohamaru!" He shouted as he ran towards the direction it came from.

He skidded to a halt on the main road that led from the east gate. A large boy, maybe two years older than them, wearing what appeared to be cat themed pajamas and makeup smeared in a complex pattern across his face, with a large cloth wrapped bundle slung over his shoulder, held Konohamaru by the throat.

"What'd you do that for?" he growled.

"OI!" Naruto shouted, "Put him down now."

"He ran right into me! He needs to learn to respect his elders!"

"Put him down Kankuro." A blond girl, with four pigtails and a giant fan strapped to her back, sighed, "He'll never learn if you choke him to death anyway."

"But Temari…"

"Now, before Gaara gets here."

Kankuro paled at the thought and dropped the Hokage's grandson. He shooed him away with a kick, "Get lost!"

"That was probably a bad idea you know." Naruto said. "That was the Hokage's only grandson, and he's very protective of him."

The boy paled even further. "Kankuro if you just lost us the exams I will kill you before Gaara even has the chance to."

"Y-You're t-taking the exams t-too?" Hinata asked. "Are you the T-Team from S-Suna?" She gestured towards their Hitai-ate.

"Yeah, and we're the strongest team in the competition." Kankuro boasted.

"I'm afraid you're wrong." A voice said from behind them. Kankuro and Temari spun around, behind them stood Sasuke, with his sword stuck through the back his belt, and red eyes gleaming, he gestured to Hinata and Naruto. "We're the strongest team in the Exam."

Kankuro burst out laughing, "You three? Aren't you a little young?"

"Kankuro…" Temari warned her brother.

"What? Look at the blond one! He looks like he's ten!"

"That had better not be a crack about my height." Naruto growled. "Things will get very… unpleasant… if that's the case."

"Kankuro." It was a new voice, soft and cold "Make a scene and I will kill you."

Sasuke turned around, behind him a boy maybe a year younger than them hung from the underside of a tree. He had spiky red hair, no eyebrows; the Kanji for love tattooed into his forehead, across his back was a giant gourd, and most distinctly pale green eyes surrounded by dark rings.

"G-G-Gaara!" Kankuro stammered, "W-w-we were j-just s-saying h-hello to these f-fine leaf-nin!

"Return to Baki. Now. Or I will kill you."

"O-O-Of c-course Gaara!" Kankuro ran off in a dead sprint.

"Kit…"Kurama's voice echoed inside Naruto's head. "That boy is a Jinchuriki… But something is terribly wrong."

'What are you talking about?' Naruto thought back. 'How can you tell?'

"Bijuu can sense each other, and talk mind to mind" Kurama replied, with a note of hesitation in his voice, "But Shukaku isn't responding…"

'Are you sure it's him?'

"We…Don't really get along…But it's bad manners to not greet another Bijuu when you meet one."

'I'll keep my eyes open don't worry.'

"Good, after what we found in the Land of Sea… I'm worried, and I don't like it."

'Me too.'

The red haired boy, Gaara, according to his teammate, glared at Naruto before disappearing in a swirl of sand.

Once he was gone Naruto spoke, "He's a Jinchuriki too."

"Wh-what? Are you s-sure? How can you tell?"

"They must be the 'serious competition' the Hokage spoke about."

"They're not the only team." Kakashi startled them with his sudden appearance. "There are a few other teams you have to worry about."

"Gah! Don't do that!" Naruto shouted.

"Wh-which teams?"

"Now, Now, That would be cheating." All three of his students glared at him. Kakashi sighed, "Fine, Guy's team and the obvious one."

"What obvious one!" Three annoyed voices asked in unison.

Judging from the tone of his voice, Kakashi was grinning evilly behind his mask, "You'll see."

"Stupid one-eyed pervert slacker." Naruto muttered once Kakashi had left, "Would it really have been so difficult for him to tell us who he was talking about?"

"Apparently." Sasuke grumbled.

Kakashi reappeared behind Naruto, Absentmindedly clocked him over the head, and said, "I almost forgot to remind you, make sure you get plenty of rest and bring all the supplies you can fit in three of Naruto's storage seals."

"Do you know how much that is?" Naruto grumbled, "That's enough for a month long mission outside of Konoha."

"Good, I doubt you'll need any of it, but I have a bad feeling about the second part of the test."Kakashi replied, "Now, I know it's early but I want you three to go home and get some rest. The test begins at eight in the morning. Don't be late or you'll be disqualified."

After Kakashi left for the second time Naruto pulled two storage scrolls from his pocket. "I've been meaning to go to that weapons place again and fill these with Kunai and Shuriken, but I haven't had the time." He handed the scrolls to Sasuke and Hinata. "They should hold enough for all your gear."

"Thanks Naruto-kun."

"Hn." Despite Sasuke's disinterested grunt, Naruto could it was taking all of Sasuke's self control to not jump for joy; he hated carrying his pack around.

"Well, I've got to go pack." Naruto said, "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"G-Good night Naruto-kun."

"Hn." Sasuke was clearly trying not to drool all over the storage scroll Naruto gave him.

The next morning Team Seven met outside the building they were taking the test in. A Note on the door aid the test was taking place in room 301.

"Come on," Sasuke said to his teammates, "we don't want to be late."

"We have an hour, Duckbutt. What's the rush?"

"No rush, I want some time to observe our competition though."

"Th-that's a g-good idea." Hinata said as she followed her teammates into the building.

As they went past the second floor landing Naruto turned to Hinata, "How bad is your cousin at counting?" He asked.

"Um…I don't think he's bad at it, why?"

"Because we just went past his team trying to get into room 201."

"There was a genjutsu on the landing, Fishcake."

"Oh, it mustn't be very strong then, I only forgot for a second that the part where the stairs turn isn't the second floor."

"I d-doubt Neji-nii-san would be fooled by that then."

"His team must be pretending to be stupid."

"That's a good idea! Hey Sasuke do you think we should try too?"

"You wouldn't have to try." Sasuke deadpanned.

"Yeah." It took Naruto a moment to realize what he had just said, "HEY! That wasn't funny Duckbutt."

Sasuke smirked, "Yes it was."

Hinata was trying not to laugh.

They reached third floor landing and stepped into the hallway, "aw man…" Naruto complained, "We came up on the wrong side of the building." He pointed to the door next to the stairway; the number 334 hung over the door.

"Don't complain it's not that far."

But when they reached a junction in the hallways the found the way towards room 301 blocked by the strangest looking figure they had seen in a long time. He wore skin tight green spandex, orange legwarmers, huge eyebrows and hair in a shiny bowel cut.

"I am terrible sorry." The strange boy said, "But are you Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes I am."

"The prodigy?"

"I guess…"

"Then I challenge you to a fight."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"My name is Rock Lee I wish to prove that you can be a great Shinobi with Taijutsu alone." The green Stranger said.

"Will you let us pass if I say no?"

"No I will not."

Team Seven shared a look, "I guess I have to accept your challenge then." Sasuke said with a shrug.

The stranger, Rock Lee, charged at Sasuke as soon as he assumed his fighting stance.

'He's fast!' If it wasn't for Kakashi's training the first punch would have been the last. Sasuke ducked under the punch, and as it sailed past he lunched himself upwards in a rising upper cut. Rock Lee leaned back and let the punch fly past.

Lee countered the uppercut with a sweeping kick. Sasuke jumped over it and lashed out with his foot. Once again Lee easily side stepped the kick and tried to catch Sasuke with a left hook.

It went back and forth like that, with neither one landing a blow for several minutes.

"W-Wow…" Hinata said, "Lee's really fast."

"Yeah, Sasuke is going to have to be tricky to win this one."

Sasuke thought he saw an opening quickly whipped one of his weighted ninja wire at Lee, catching him in the arm. 'Ha!' thought Sasuke as he pulled on the wire.

But nothing happened. Sasuke wasn't able to make Rock Lee budge an inch.

"My turn." Lee yanked on the wire and sent Sasuke flying towards him.

Sasuke's mental 'Oh crap,' barely had time to register before Lee head-butted him out of the air. Dazed Sasuke managed a quick counter with his right fist, but he hit nothing but air, Lee seemed to have disappeared.

Sasuke managed to look down in time to see Lee's rising kick hit him in the face with all the Sharingan's slow motion glory. 'This is gonna suck…' Sasuke thought as he tried to lean out of the way of the kick.

He was too late and the kick caught him full on the chin and launched him straight up into the air. He managed to look behind him, while sailing towards the ceiling, and somehow Rock Lee had positioned himself directly behind Sasuke. The strange boy had even positioned his arms and legs the same as Sasuke. The one difference was that the bandage on Lee's right arm had come undone, and was stuck to the wall with…a pinwheel?

"That's enough Lee." A voice rang out from one of the hallways. "I told you that that technique is only to protect that which is precious to you."

Lee landed looking ashamed, "Yes Sensei."

Moments later Sasuke landed, hard and on his shoulder. He rolled onto his back and lay there in a daze.

"You've wasted enough time." The voice continued and a giant turtle walked into the room.

'His sensei is a turtle?' the thought entered Team Sevens heads simultaneously.

"Come," the voice continued, and the strangest man team seven had seen appeared in a puff of smoke on the turtle's back. He looked almost exactly like Lee, the same bushy eyebrows, the same shiny bowl haircut, the same green Spandex Jumpsuit. Only this man was almost twice as tall and didn't have bandages around his forearms in addition to his Konoha flak jacket. "You must be inside the examination hall when the test begins."

Lee followed his sensei out of the hallway with his head hung in shame. "Hey! Bushy Brows!" Sasuke called from the floor where he still lay. "Good fight! Thanks."

"What?" Lee looked confused. "I just beat you! Why are you thanking me? You are a genius, they say. Should not you be upset that I can beat you?"

Sasuke rose, shakily, to his feet. With a shrug he said, "I'm used to losing to non prodigies. Besides I'm not my team's Taijutsu expert."

"You are not?" Lee's giant eyebrows wrinkled together, "Then why did you fight like that?"

"I'm the team Ninjutsu expert and my elemental nature is Fire."

"So?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to face palm, "We're in a wooden building, genius."

Looking mildly embarrassed Lee turned to follow his sensei. .

"One more thing. Thanks for holding back."

Lee's already large eyes grew wider, "H-How did you know?"

"You're too heavy," Sasuke pointed to his red eyes, "And I could clearly see you pulling all of your punches."

Team Seven followed Lee and his Sensei down the hall to the examination room. It was set up like a class room with a blackboard on one side, and the rows of desks on the other, in the middle was a large empty space, where everyone milled about waiting for the exam to start.

"Well," Naruto said looking around at mass of people, "I guess this is the beginning."

A/N buffering is almost done, I've written up to chapter 38. I might be able to start posting Wednesdays /Fridays next week. (and if Minato's 'gift' is what I think it is I'm going to have to get a plane ticket to Japan so I can kick Kishimoto for all the idea theft he's been doing…)