It was a rough couple of days after Sakura took her medical license exam waiting to hear any sort of news on whether she'd passed or failed "Relax Sakura-chan I'm sure you aced it like you've done every other sort of test you've taken" Mebuki soothed.
When the girl began pacing for the umpteenth time "I know, I know but still, I want to at least take the Chunin Exams as a licensed medic" Sakura sighed flopping down at the low living room table after a couple of minutes of restless pacing.
Off to the side Sasuke snorted and she elbowed him none to gently "You won't be laughing Teme when it's your turn to take the medical license exam" Naruto rolled his eyes having gotten serious about his fuinjutsu lately.
Scouring scroll after scroll or book after book on the subject courtesy of the Hokage who supplied him with countless material to read from "Hey Naruto Come Out And Train With Us" Kiba Inuzuka's voice echoed through the house from the front door.
Just as loud as they remembered the Inuzuka heir being "Kiba-kun please do..don't be so loud, Sak..Sakura-chan's parents wo..won't appreciate it no..nor will her neighbors" Hinata stuttered in a scolding tone as Naruto packed up his books, sealing them away in a scroll.
Before standing and hurrying towards the door excited to spend some time with his teammates, with a quick see you later over his shoulder Naruto was gone from the house, trailing after Kiba and Hinata to train like they wanted.
"Right, you two go find something to do as well, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, Mebuki-chan and I have business to attend to" Kizashi shooed the remaining children off, ushering them out the door even so he could have some alone time with his wife.
They blinked when the door was slammed in their faces "Yeesh wonder what's gotten in to those two" Sasuke huffed trying to figure out something he and Sakura could do that wasn't more training, their bruises and cuts weren't completely healed yet after all.
Sakura shrugged likely "No idea, anyway I was thinking about what you said Sasuke, going to the Uchiha Compound to borrow books from your clan's library, want to go ask permission from Hokage-sama" the pinkette announced.
Having thought long and hard on the idea, Sasuke was quick to eagerly nod his head in answer even as they started down the streets "Thought you'd never ask" the raven haired preteen grunted glad that he'd be able to get his hands on some books that detailed the sharingan.
Eight minutes later they were stood before the Hokage who blew out a puff of smoke "Please don't tell me you've come here to confess more outrageous actions" Hiruzen sighed lowering his pipe and clasping his hands together.
"Actually Hokage-sama we were wondering if we could have permission to go into you know where" Sakura laughed awkwardly, Hiruzen frowned for a moment trying to figure out what she was talking about.
Until his face darkened in remembrance "It was my idea, I wanted to see what the clan's library had on the sharingan" Sasuke blurted not wanting Sakura to get in trouble for something he'd suggested, even if she'd been the one to ask.
Hiruzen relaxed "Very well but you'll have an anbu escort understand and no trying to give him the slip" the Hokage said sternly, flaring his chakra for one of his personal guard, through the floor he rose up, wearing a mask.
Then he was given his instructions "Let's go you two, I'll meet you at the gates" the man nodded accepting his orders from the Hokage, then sunk into the floor to their curiosity, no doubt they'd be asking questions when they arrived.
"Come on Sasuke" the rosette grabbed Sasuke by the hand, a simple action that she'd done a million times, then in a flurry of cherry blossom petals was gone, the petals fading out of existence a couple seconds after her departure.
Moments later they were stood before the gates of the Uchiha Compound for only the second time since the Massacre, and their escort was waiting for them on the other side "If I remember, the clan's library should be this way" the Uchiha tried to recall.
Heading down a random street no thoughts of giving their anbu escort the slip, he simply wanted to see what the clan had on the sharingan or anything else that he could find, Sakura was quiet as they walked keeping her gaze forward and not wandering around.
Until they found the building they were looking for and went inside, Sasuke lit some torches giving the library a dull glow so they could see "Poor books look at how filthy they are" Sakura frowned, irritated at the tomes condition.
Off to the side their escort coughing hiding a chuckle no doubt, they were use to Kakashi's attempts at hiding his laughter after all "Guess we'll just have to give them a little tlc and clean them up huh Sakura" Sasuke laughed.
Reaching for a cobweb/dust covered book on his right, brushing the filth from it's surface and cracking it open to read it's contents, his face morphed in confusion "What's the matter Sasuke" the pinkette asked in concern.
Already cleaning up various books that she could find "Can't read it that is what's the matter Sakura" the ebony haired preteen scowled, frustrated as he held out the book for her to see, emerald orbs scanned the contents within.
"Maybe try activating your sharingan that could be a special sharingan only book, just a hunch though" Sakura suggested seriously not to certain as Sasuke focused chakra into his eyes, which flickered bloody red with one tomoe in each iris still.
Then concentrated on the book in his hands "Wow you were right Sakura…but I don't like what it's saying" Sasuke admitted closing the book swiftly and made a split second decision to hand it over to their anbu escort.
Who took it in confusion "Says something about some rabbit goddess sealed away on the moon named Kaguya Otsutsuki, the mother of the ten tailed beast" the boy explained, at that the book was sealed away in a chakra coded scroll.
For safe keeping hopefully "Take a look at this one Sasuke, apparently there's all kinds of different sharingan patterns if you manage to activate your mangekyou" the pinkette called him over to her where she was reading from yet another potentially dangerous book.
Sasuke sighed, at this rate he was going to have to turn over a lot more books as that one was swiftly confiscated "Apparently my clan had a hobby for collecting dangerous books, go figure" the second to last Uchiha grumbled.
Grabbing for another book in hopes that it wouldn't be another troublesome one, thankfully third time was the charm as he cracked it open finding the book to be normal, detailing about the abilities a regular sharingan had.
And it was quickly sealed in a storage scroll on hand, anbu escort totally silent and keeping an eye out for any trouble most likely "What about this one Sasuke, on chakra points, mind if I borrow it" Sakura held out a book a few minutes later.
He glanced at it then shrugged "Keep it actually, we're family in all but blood after all" Sasuke said not to bothered, and struggled not to laugh as he realized that she was meticulously cleaning off each book she pulled from the shelves.
Even going so far as to clean the shelves off, the anbu coughed into his hand again "You know Anbu-san trying to hide your laughter behind a fake cough isn't getting you anywhere, Kakashi-sensei tries the same thing and it doesn't work" the rosette pointed out suddenly.
The man went lax for a moment the only way they could tell he was shocked before straightening again "That doesn't work either, we're pretty good at reading someone's body language, you were shocked" the ebony haired preteen smirked.
Only to have a piece of rock thrown at him and he twisted narrowly out of the way "Evasion training is paying off I see" Sakura snickered in an unapologetic tone of voice before turning back to the books to search for anymore interesting ones she might want to borrow or keep.
"It's still crude though and elementary at best, before the week is out I want to be at least low level intermediate" Sasuke crinkled his nose in frustration, being a medic was hard, especially with all the rules they had to follow.
Fifteen minutes later Sakura let out a gasp as she pried open a book that felt like it had been glued shut only to find a set of pictures within "Shisui" the fuscia haired preteen whispered, carefully dusting the photo off to reveal the teenager himself.
"Didn't even know that there were any pictures of Shisui" the raven haired preteen was right there at her side peering at the picture as well, taking in familiar features that he hadn't seen in four long years, he knew what Sakura was going to ask before she ever even asked it.
As she looked at him with hopeful green eyes "May I keep this Sasuke, to frame and remember him" Sakura clutched the photo tightly in her hand afraid that he would yank it away most likely it was hard to tell what she was actually thinking right now.
He knew his answer to "Of course you can, Shisui was like the older brother you wanted and never got and he was unfairly taken away from you" Sasuke shrugged yet again, a moment later she threw her arms around his neck squeezing tightly.
Murmuring thank you over and over again in his ear, then they focused on their self assigned tasks of finding books to take back to the Haruno House with them, an hour later found them with a sizeable stack that was sealed away.
Then they made their way back to the gates and out into the village where the anbu that had escorted them promptly sunk into the earth "There you are Haruno-san I have been looking everywhere for you to tell you the results of your licensing test" a medic panted.
Jogging up to them on their way home, hopefully by then Mebuki and Kizashi would be done with their business "Sorry, my Mom and Dad kind of kicked us out temporarily for some alone time" the rosette apologized.
Eyes wide and hopeful "Let me just say the hospital is proud to have such a talented upcoming medic like you Haruno-san, congratulations on passing your medical license exam with a full score on everything, here's your license" the medic cleared his throat.
Launching into a prepared spiel before presenting a little card with her name and photo on it, stating that she was fully qualified "Congratulations Sakura, let's go find Shino and celebrate" the Uchiha at her side clapped her on the back.
Pleased that she had passed which made him hopeful for when it came his turn, the medic left them on their own as Sakura nodded, spreading out her senses for the familiar chakra signature of her boyfriend/teammate.
Not that she had to search very hard as his chakra flickered to life right before them "My Father sent me away, why I don't know but he was behaving very oddly" Shino greeted as he body flickered in a swirl of kikaichu.
"What's that in your hand Sakura" the Aburame heir questioned spying the little card in her hand, then he took note of her expression of excitement and spied the retreating male dressed in the standard hospital garb.
It sunk in right before she threw her arms around his neck "I passed my medical license exam Shino-kun, as of today I am a fully qualified and licensed medic" Sakura squealed softly completely over the moon at the news.
"Yeah we were on our way to find you, then go and celebrate at Yakiniku Q and trust me, the rents for us we're acting pretty strange themselves" Sasuke smirked then he remembered what Shino had said about his father and decided to comment on the older Haruno's actions.
Shino blinked "Then shall we go to the place of celebration" Shino held out his arm for Sakura to take and she did so with a happy smile situated on her lips as they walked leisurely down the streets to the restaurant of choice.
Barbecue had been a big hit lately with Sakura so long as it was sweet barbecue and her teammates were going to indulge her sweet tooth in celebration of passing her other very serious exam especially before the Chunin Exams.
Four minutes later they were pushing aside the cloth to enter Yakiniku Q "Booth for three please" the raven haired preteen held up three fingers as a waiter spotted them and came over to them without making them wait.
A minute later they were seated in a booth with a grill between them "This has probably been the best day ever since we became genin" the pinkette squealed quietly unable to help herself, she was ecstatic right now.
"Can you tell us what the exam was like Sakura, why because I am curious" the brunet heir inquired curiously while looking over the menu to see if there was anything he wanted to try, while Sakura would no doubt order some sweet barbecue.
Viridian orbs flickered up from the menu she was looking up to meet his covered gaze "Difficult, there were many questions about the functions of the brain, how to heal all sorts of damage done to it, and the functions of the body, plus different medicinal herbs and poisonous ones, then there was the demonstration" Sakura explained.
"Is that why you were completely drained when you came back from taking your test at the hospital" Shino grimaced realizing that the medical licensing exam had been like hell on earth for her, as Sakura nodded seriously in answer.
Beside her Sasuke flinched "Guess there's no hope for me then on the exam, there's no way I'll be able to remember all that stuff" Sasuke groaned as he remembered the amount of studying Sakura had done in two weeks and over the years just to be a medic.
Engrossed in their conversation as they were, the trio of best friends/teammates missed the sudden eavesdroppers as they took the booth directly across from them "It's the little brats that pissed me off" a familiar voice drew them from their conversation.
To spy the Sand Genin with an unfamiliar person sitting with them in a booth right next to them "Ah but if I recall Kankuro-san it was due to your own fault, why because you shouldn't have tried to hit Hokage-sama's grandson regardless of what happened even after you were warned" the Aburame Heir pushed his sunglasses back into their proper place.
Reminding the older genin of his actions "Forget that, what exam were you talking about, surely not the Chunin Exam, because we haven't taken it yet so there's no way you three have taken it ahead of everyone else" Temari narrowed her teal eyes on them.
"Completely different exam, as of today, she's a fully qualified medic of the Hidden Leaf Village" the raven haired preteen gestured to the lone girl in his booth, who smiled softly looking very pleased with herself that she'd accomplished one of her goals.
Kankuro and Temari stared "How is it you managed that, a little on the young side don't you think pardon my manners I am Baki, these three's sensei for all intents and purposes" Baki introduced himself to the trio of Leaf Genin.
And the lone girl faced him all good and proper, glancing to her teammates first, who nodded reluctantly "Sakura Haruno and yes I'm only twelve still, however from the get go I've had near perfect chakra that I have honed tirelessly over the years" the pinkette answered honestly.
Then her attention was taken away as the waiter came back to take their order before ambling away "That boy, how did he yank Kankuro down" Gaara rumbled in a gravely tone of voice, having been quiet thus far and listening to the conversation going on around him.
"We're not under any sort of liberation to tell you that as it's the Dope's right, Sasuke Uchiha" Sasuke admitted seriously not giving away skills that Naruto had, everything had been so happy lately that he didn't want to make the boy angry by giving away some of his secrets.
Gaara narrowed pale green irises "Naruto is our friend it's not our prerogative to tell others his secrets or abilities why because then he'd be upset with us, Shino Aburame" Shino frowned eyeing their unhappy expressions, also introducing himself even if he was reluctant to do so.
Utter silence met that explanation as the Sand Shinobi absorbed themselves in their own conversation leaving the Leaf genin alone "Goodness your on a roll lately Shino-kun" Sakura giggled lightly in amusement at Shino's antics.
He shot her a small smile, tugging down his coat collar to show it off even as their meat or vegetables finally came and they got started on grilling it, having a regular ole blast as they chattered about this or that.
Eating all the while until it came time for dessert matcha anmitsu for Sakura, dango for Shino and Sasuke went without because he wasn't a fan of desserts really "Alright my Father should be over whatever sort of oddness has plagued him recently" the Aburame heir sighed.
Placing down his portion of ryo to pay for their extravagant meal "See you tomorrow for training Shino-kun" the rosette waved pecking his cheek real quick to Sasuke's amusement as Shino's cheeks flushed a light red in response as he returned the gesture.
Before vanishing in a swirl of kikaichu as they headed from the restaurant "Come on Sakura, let's go see if those two are done having their alone time" the Uchiha shook his head dragging Sakura down the streets to the house.
And within only to meet their sensei in the foyer "This is a surprise" Shibi commented staring down at two of his students in veiled shock because he'd been certain that Shino would keep them busy for awhile longer.
"Certainly Shibi-sensei is something wrong it's been a long time since you visited after all" Sakura frowned in concern worried that something had happened with her parents, she loved them to much for that to happen.
Shibi shook his head "Nothing is wrong, merely mentioned something important to your parents that you'll learn about after the Chunin Exams" the Aburame Patriarch patted her gently on the head favoring the young girl still quite a bit after all the adventures she'd been on with him and Shino.
Her facial features relaxed while her expressive vibrant eyes filled with relief and he took that chance to disappear on his genin to avoid anymore questions "Tch that man" Sasuke grumbled shucking his sandals while Sakura grinned in amusement.
Then together they headed into the living room to find the older Haruno couple, the duo was quiet but neither of the young preteens really minded as they sat and unsealed a plethora of books that they'd collected the from Uchiha Clan library to read.
Until Naruto came home by then Mebuki and Kizashi had pulled out of their thoughts and had engaged in light chatter before Mebuki wandered off to make dinner for the five of them, Shino suspiciously absent that night as they headed up to bed.
The following day had Team Seven back on their training field, training like crazy "So even left to their own devices they train" Asuma commented joining Shibi in his tree for the moment and lighting up a cigarette watching the kids as he did so.
"Indeed, they probably felt underprepared for the Chunin Exams so have trained accordingly so they would feel ready" Shibi admitted it was the only explanation he'd been able to come up with for their insane training schedule.
Asuma snorted in amusement and twenty minutes later the two Jonin left them to their own devices "Think that's enough for the day" the raven haired preteen panted out of breath and ready to collapse right then there.
"Yeah I think that's good enough Sasuke, why because I can finally cover three people in my barrier" the Aburame Heir had no such qualms about flopping down on a boulder to rest for a couple of minutes.
Out of breath and drained on chakra like his teammates but accomplished "Only if we squeeze really close together" the pinkette on the team piped in with a grin having a little bit of energy to spare not much though.
Proving that her stamina had increased from the ridiculous training they were putting themselves through, she popped a chakra restorative pill in the next moment to replenish her chakra before moving around to her teammates to heal them over their self attained injuries.
Healing herself afterwards when she was done with them before they split up unlike how it had been since the beginning of their two week time limit, by the end of the week Shino's violet colored barrier had grown a little more.
And they finally felt ready enough to take the Chunin Exams "Keep yourselves inconspicuous, scope out the competition so to speak and do not give away any information such as abilities, besides your name" Sakura warned for Naruto and his teammates.
As the members of Team Eight gathered in front of her house "Roger that Sakura, believe me" Kiba saluted while Akamaru gave a yip in agreement, if she was taking the time out of their morning to give them that sort of warning he was going to take it to heart.
"W..We're going on ahead okay s..see you at the ac..academy" Hinata waved stuttering a little more than usual that day, nerves were most likely eating away at her, making her stutter worse than it had been since their class field trip.
Sakura waved back calmly "Later Sakura-chan and I promise not to be to obvious" Naruto grimaced, he'd been made to find a really dark orange outfit that was nearly black in color, upgraded with Mibojin's silk for extra protection just in case.
Just five minutes after Team Eights departure, the last member of Team Seven appeared "Naruto leave already, why because I thought we were all walking together" Shino frowned noting the absence of the goofy blonde that was another of his friends.
"Left with his team a few minutes ago, we should head that way ourselves" Sasuke pointed out, they took their usual places on either side of Sakura and started down the streets to the academy that had been designated the place for their first round of the Chunin Exams.
It was quiet as they walked, tension palpable in the air, they had none of the usual chatter between them until they arrived "Must have went inside" the Uchiha grunted disturbed at the knucklehead's lack of patience.
While he had changed quite a bit, he was still the same goofy kid they'd known since their academy days and Naruto didn't do subtle on a regular day unless it was really necessary of him "Calm down Sasuke I'm sure he's fine" the pinkette soothed gently.
Patting his hand like he was use to "Yeah besides you didn't tell him he couldn't go in" the brunet on her other side piped in with a brow raised and Sasuke scowled but nodded in understanding, because they hadn't told that Dope he couldn't go inside.
At that they hurried in themselves "Give me a break what do they take me for, genjutsu" Sakura scoffed at someones petty attempts at trying to confuse them, only explaining when her teammates gave her a very odd look.
"Now that you mention it I do sense the fluctuation of chakra in the air" Shino noted as they trekked up the steps and found what the genjutsu was actually for, even though he knew it was a genjutsu and could only recall walking up one set of stairs.
He was still a little confused as to how so many other talented genin couldn't figure out the genjutsu or even sense it, with a roll of his eyes "Come on you two" Sasuke snorted in disgust, so much for the competition.
With that they turned their backs on the group in the hallway making their way to the room they were supposed to meet in "Hold up just where do you three think your going" an unfamiliar voice called from behind them, stopping them in their tracks.
"To the room 301 of course" the Aburame Heir stated simply then continued walking undeterred not really paying attention to who had spoken ushering Sakura along with a hand on her back, Sasuke trailing after them.
Leaving behind a bunch of confused genin no doubt, five minutes later they turned a corner to find room 301 and found their sensei waiting for them "Sensei what are you doing here" the ebony haired preteen frowned lost as to what was going on.
Shibi gave them a small smile "To give you a pep talk, there is nothing that can make me prouder knowing that you came here together knowing that the exam will be difficult yes, but I have no doubts that the three of you will pass this round" Shibi explained.
"Now go face your future and walk your chosen paths with pride" the Aburame Patriarch opened the door for his students allowing them to slip into room 301, and the door shut behind them with a quiet clatter.
Every single eye was on them in the next moment glaring at them, daring the newbies to make a commotion "Over there" the rosette of Team Seven whispered nudging her teammates towards where she spotted Naruto, Kiba and Hinata.
"Thought you guys were never going to get here, it's creepy being in this room with so many people that glare at you for the slightest thing" the blue eyed blonde latched onto Sakura thankful that the girl was there now.
Kiba and Hinata nodded sagely in agreement "Yeah for a moment even I thought those guys with the musical note headbands were going to attack us" the Inuzuka Heir admitted while Akamaru whimpered, affected by all the powerful chakra in the room.
"I..It mi..might have s..seemed that way bu..but I bet fig..fighting is pr..prohibited d..during this round" the blue haired heiress stuttered horrendously back to how she use to be during their academy days while the others winced.
Sakura's chakra kept them grounded though with it's soothing feel as they stood staring around subtly at the other genin in the room with them until the door was flung open to admit Team Ten into the exam room.
"Forehead, Sasuke-kun it's been forever since we've seen each other and hung out" Ino greeted as they ambled over and she threw her arms around Sasuke's neck, pressing her front into his back, Sasuke gave her a glare that could scare the devil himself into submission.
But she was completely unfazed "Kami Ino would it kill you to act normal for once, I don't think those guys appreciate it" Choji shook his head at his teammates antics, munching on chips rapidly, nervous and feeling overwhelmed right now.
While gesturing to the other genin in the room with them, who were glaring murderously in their direction, Ino gulped and released her captive, ducking her head down "It's okay, their probably just on edge is all" Shikamaru assured carefully.
Taking her antics for what they were, a way to assure herself "Sorry Sasuke, Sakura was teasing really" the Yamanaka Heiress smiled sheepishly shuffling her feet awkwardly and doing her best to ignore the glares that were being directed at her.
The duo in question shrugged but remained silent "You feel it to that killing intent then" the Nara Heir inched his way to stand at Sakura's side missing the disgruntled look that appeared on Shino's face at his proximity to the girl.
Choji didn't though and he wondered what that expression was for "Like Ino said though it has been forever" the Akimichi heir pointed out deciding not to comment or question on why Shino looked jealous over Shikamaru standing next to Sakura.
With that the nine of them stood around chatting quietly to one another, they noted the absence of Team Nine as well seems their sensei hadn't thought they were ready enough for the exams, just as well because there was already way to many genin in the room.
Overcrowding it really and unknown to them a genin started towards their close knit group "This is not what I expected for a bunch of rookies, I thought you'd be loud and unaware" the gray haired teenager greeted.
Startling the nine genin, who crowded closer together in response to his nearness "My apologies I didn't mean to startle you, I'm Kabuto Yakushi a fellow genin, failed the exam three times so I decided to try it again" Kabuto introduced himself with a kind smile.
Missing the suspicion in two of the younger genin's gazes while the thirds was hidden behind his sunglasses "What was the point in approaching us, when all you did was draw attention onto us again, troublesome" Shikamaru grumbled irritated that all those glares were directed at them again.
Kabuto blinked in surprise "If I did I apologize for that to, I merely wished to offer my help if you have any questions about someone participating in the exam" the gray haired teenager offered politely holding out a stack of cards.
"That's not necessary, we're doing just fine on our own thanks" Kiba glared not wanting to be seen as weak that he would need help during the first round of the Chunin Exams, his Ma would have his hide if she ever found out.
Just a little shocked by that point the cards were put away "Very well then, but know that I'm available to help at any time" Kabuto waved wandering back towards his teammates feeling unsuccessful in his mission to make nice with the brats under his master's orders.
Earning their trust was not going to be easy it seemed with how close knit they were "Talk about a jerk, who does he take us for, idiots or something" Naruto huffed under his breath upset that they were being taken lightly just because they were rookies.
"Now, now Naruto no point in being so flustered over it" Sakura soothed, allowing her chakra to settle their uneasiness by flaring it subtly, washing over them in a soothing way that had all the other rookies relaxing.
Until she felt chakra converging on the room they were all stood around in "Our proctor is coming" Shino shifted to stand closer to Sakura, growing tense yet again, then in a large plume of smoke chunin rank shinobi and a jonin that was very familiar to three genin was stood at the front of the room.
"Listen up you baby faced degenerates my name's Ibiki Morino your proctor for the first exam, line up hand over your forms and then sit the hell down so that I can explain the rules of the written test" Ibiki snarled at the genin.
Making them scramble "Crap written test man I'm gonna fail" Naruto groaned wishing that he had put in some effort to study something other than fuinjutsu, as one of the sentinels waved a stack of papers at him a smug smirk on his face that he itched to smack off.
Sakura patted his arm and out of the corner of his eye he saw something scurrying up his sleeve to hide under the collar of his shirt, of course he realized in the next moment recognizing the little creature as Irome one of her tiny spider summons.
He noticed her patting Sasuke and Shino on the backs as well, transferring little spiders over to them "Good luck to each of you" Sasuke blew out a breath, as they all lined up in an orderly fashion and found themselves separated from their teammates.
The knucklehead was lucky as he found himself seated next to Hinata "N..Naruto-kun" Hinata nodded quietly at her teammate, trying not to make it to obvious that she was part of his team when the idea had probably been to make it so they couldn't sit with their teammates.
Both of them were lucky in that regard while the last member of their team was rows behind them, the same thing happened with Shino, Sasuke and Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji to she noticed taking that chance to peer around carefully as the test papers were passed around.
Ibiki waiting until all of them had one in front of them before taking a piece of chalk "Rule number one no talking, no cheating, if your caught cheating three times game over your disqualified, last rule when there's ten minutes left I will give a tenth question" Ibiki explained.
Writing down the various rules on the chalkboard for the genin brats making sure they understood before allowing them to start, immediately the room with the sound of pencils scratching on paper as he sat down, scanning the rows trying to find anyone cheating.
Sakura blew out a breath, swiping her long pink hair out of her eyes as she scribbled down the answer to the fourth question 'Boy am I glad I studied those advanced equations a few days ago' she thought to herself.
Jade eyes scanning the paper, biting her lip in thought, then she glanced subtly to Shiruki who was perched under her chin hiding in a lock of her hair, she made it look like she was studying the test paper intently bringing it close to her face for Shiruki to read.
Then pass off the answers to the others who had need of them, out of the corner of her eye she caught Sasuke subtly flashing his sharingan around, hurriedly deactivating the dojutsu when a sentinel gazed in his direction.
Peering down at his test paper and tapping his pencil before reverting to his sharingan again when the stare had moved on, though once in awhile his gaze would trail to his shoulder glancing at the tiny spider Kafu who gave him some answers.
There was also Shino to consider, who was using his kikaichu to search out answers sneakily every so often she caught sight of one of the beetles flying around the room before focusing her attention on her own test again.
Cranking off the rest of the answer in due time, she didn't want to answer them to quick after all, it would just draw unwanted attention onto her, she even made a big show of reviewing her answers to make sure they were right.
So that Shiruki could memorize them and hand off the answers to Naruto most likely before placing her test paper down nice and neat on the desk until there was only ten minutes left, their proctor stood.
"Pencils down I will now give the tenth question" the Anbu Commander barked and some of the genin jumped, Sakura however narrowed her eyes as she felt the killing intent wafting from the man, to no doubt weed out the weaker bellied genin in the room.
And she was right as several teams stood and it was the moment of truth, answer the question and have it be wrong and be banned from ever taking the exams again or bail out and try again in six months, Sakura grit her teeth.
Determined to hold her ground, Shino and Sasuke shared her sentiments as they two squared their shoulders not willing to give in when they'd already come this far a commotion at the front of the room had several of the rookies grinning.
Naruto had stood and slammed his hand on the desk startling Hinata "I don't quite and I don't run, even if I'm a genin for the rest of my life I'll still be Hokage someday" the blonde shouted done being inconspicuous oh well he'd lasted longer than they thought he would at being subtle for once.
This gave the others still in the room the courage to stay put as well, fighting off the killing intent "That so…well congratulations you all pass to the second round" Ibiki clapped smirking at some of their shocked expressions while Naruto flushed in embarrassment.
Before he could go into detail on the no tenth question trick he'd pulled on them, the window shattered and up went a banner to reveal the craziest looking woman they'd ever met, eating a dango of all things.
"Names Anko Mitarashi and I'm your proctor for the seconds round, follow me you maggots" Anko ordered from around her stick only to pause and turn on her commander for a couple of minutes as she realized that there were still a lot of genin.
Until she shrugged "Oh well by the time I'm done with them, there will less than half of you left" the purple haired woman smirked sending a shudder rolling down their spines as they followed her to the site their second round would be conducted.
Only to stop before a creepy ass forest, Naruto latched on to Sakura immediately "Right this here is the Forest of Death, starting tomorrow you lot will be spending five days in there fighting to collect a pair of scrolls and reach the tower in the center of the forest" Anko explained.
She also went on to explain a bunch of rules and whatnot before giving them one last final warning "I suggest you come prepared and if you don't show up at exactly 0800 hours consider yourself officially disqualified" the purple haired woman finished.
Dismissing the remaining genin from the written exam round to trail home "Make sure you pack well Hinata-chan, Kiba" Sakura warned before the two heirs could run off the duo nodded seriously ambling away afterwards.
"Might join you for dinner later and bring my pack so that I pack the necessary things" Shino commented, Sakura smiled lightly before frowning as she glanced back at the forest of death, getting a foreboding feeling about it.
It was like that night in the Uchiha Compound, on a smaller scale sure but definitely higher than the C turned A rank mission she and Sasuke had been on "Your getting a bad feeling again aren't you Sakura" Sasuke groaned.
Realizing what the look on her face meant especially when she nodded sagely in answer "That just means we'll all have to be super extra careful" Naruto said not daring to brush off her foreboding feelings not after that mission they'd all went on together.
Another nod as they turned down the streets to their house "I'm going to stop by the market and get some things, you two go on home" the pinkette announced suddenly making a beeline to one of their favorite shops as they passed it.
Leaving the boys to trek home alone, halfway to the aisle that held what she was looking for there was suddenly someone pacing along behind her, elbow perched on her shoulder, her eye twitched and her lips pulled down in another frown.
As she prepared to lay into the person who dared invade her personal space like that "Yo Kid been awhile hasn't it" Darui's familiar voice echoed in her ears before she could launch into a rant about how it was rude to put your elbow on people.
Her eyes widened "Darui-san what are you doing here is Cee-san with you, and yeah it has been nearly a month if I recall, lots of things have happened" Sakura chattered as Darui removed his elbow from her shoulder following her around normally now and not invading her personal space.
"Oh really care to share Kid, sorry Cee isn't with me today, but he is, Amai this is one of the kids we stayed with while Boss was drawing up the treaty" the dark skinned male turned calling out to whoever Amai was.
In the next second a brunet was stood beside them sporting a kind smile "I've heard a great many things about you Sakura-san and like Darui said I am Amai, a medic like Cee" Amai introduced himself kindly.
Sakura blinked at him "Well Amai-san it's nice to meet you and our sensei nominated us for the Chunin Exams, also I'm a licensed medic now, took the test and passed it with flying colors" the pinkette grinned.
While Darui shook his head in amusement, Amai was just a tiny bit shocked "Your sensei must have a lot of faith in you and your teammates Sakura-san and that's great I'm sure the hospital is glad to have someone with your talent on the staff" the brunet commented.
The girl nodded her head seriously "How are those boys doing, I don't just mean Naruto and Sasuke, but your little boyfriend to" Darui teased in the next moment, like he expected Sakura turned bright red in embarrassment.
"Not cool Darui-san and their fine, Shino-kun's gotten into barrier seals, Naruto's taking fuinjutsu seriously and Sasuke's in training to be the world's first Uchiha Medic" Sakura stuck her tongue out before giving the man a proper answer to his question.
Behind them the other Cloud Shinobi chuckled in amusement "What about you Sakura-san is there anything that you'll be getting into such as poisons or the like" Amai inquired lightly watching her wander here or there.
Searching for specific things on the shelves probably "I'm leaving poisons up to Sasuke, crafting antidotes is more my style as I've learned, and learning genjutsu as well, might incorporate that into my body flicker, craft my own unique illusion" the rosette mused.
Delving into her thoughts to their surprise "Those two we passed on the way back to our village, they were your parents weren't they Kid" the dark skinned Jonin drew her from those thoughts carefully in the next moment.
Wanting to keep talking before she disappeared on them "Huh oh yeah they also adopted Naruto and Sasuke the following day so we're family for real now" the fuscia haired preteen admitted in a fond tone of voice.
Amai's brows raised at that "Family huh somehow I get the feeling even if your parents hadn't adopted them, you'd still consider them that way" the brunet said and the girl nodded her head eagerly in answer.
"That's right, ooh drat got to back up for a moment" Sakura frowned missing one of the things needed the duo of Cloud Shinobi took a couple of steps backward allowing her to reach up on her tiptoes and grab at least four medium sized boxes of food pills.
Plopping them in the basket on her arm before wandering down the aisle some more pulling what had at first seemed random things to them from the shelves "Are you going on a mission or something" Darui frowned in confusion.
Seeing the amount of nonperishable things the girl was getting "Survival round of the Chunin Exams starts tomorrow, we'll be in a forest for five days" the pinkette answered truthfully, glancing around to see if she needed to grab anything else.
"I see so that means you'll be unavailable for the next five days after this" Amai stated simply and she nodded, nicking a box of mesh bags as she spotted them, followed by a few extra rolls of ninja wire and four boxes of smoke bombs.
Her basket was stuffed full at that point "Mm I wonder if this will really be enough" Sakura muttered to herself still contemplating on grabbing a few other things, maybe a new weapon to add variety at that thought she turned heading down a different aisle.
Cloud Shinobi trailing her and slightly amused at her obsessive tendencies watching as she snagged two packs of shuriken, one pack of kunai, and a tantou "Right I should get going nice meeting you Amai-san, see you Darui-san" then the rosette waved.
Marching her way to the check out counter and when everything had been rung up and paid for she took the bags and body flickered in a swirl of cherry blossoms "Thought you'd take a little longer, Shino-kun is waiting for you in Sasuke-kun's room with Naruto-kun" Mebuki greeted.
On her way out the door for some reason or another "We thought we'd go open our stall for a couple hours today late as it is though" Kizashi explained when he appeared in the foyer a couple seconds after she'd entered the house.
"Just have fun packing and Shino-kun is spending the night I believe on request of his Father who has decided to disappear on him" the blonde woman snickered at the antics of males while Sakura giggled right along with her mother.
Kizashi pouted "Anyway just don't do anything I wouldn't do" the pink haired male singsonged in an obnoxious and annoying way that had his wife slapping him upside the head with a roll of her emerald orbs.
A moment later the door shut behind them "Yeesh sometimes I wonder how I manage them at all" Sakura shook her head with a quiet fond snort shucking her sandals and nudging them off to the side as neatly as she could get them without setting down her bags.
Before heading up the stairs, hanging a right into Sasuke's room "Bout time Sakura-chan we've been waiting forever" Naruto huffed at her pouting for some reason or another that she had no idea on.
Next to him Sasuke rolled his eyes "It hasn't been that long and besides Sakura's the best at packing between us" Sasuke snorted rising to take some of the clearly heavy bags only to set them all on the floor.
Then Sakura disappeared for a few moments longer to grab her pack "Right so what all are we going to pack" Shino questioned eyeing the amount of bags and things that had been bought from a shop in the market.
"First off clean clothes only for a week this time, add an extra set along with another pair of sandals, the laundry detergent as well" the pinkette instructed, Shino sighed and made a clone before sending it off to acquire the necessary things from his home.
Eight minutes later it was back with a weeks worth of clothes, one extra set and another pair of sandals for him while Sakura nudged over a bottle of laundry detergent for him "Personal stuff next right Sakura-chan" the blue eyed blonde grinned.
Having a small idea on what they'd be packing next, again Shino set his clone off to his house and when the clone came back, shampoo, conditioner, two towels each, moist towelettes, and a body poof was sealed into a scroll.
Off to the side Sakura was doing the same for Naruto's teammates, knowing she'd bought enough to spare some for Kiba and Hinata "Our food supplies are next, are we taking perishable stuff or…" the ebony haired preteen trailed off unsure.
"Just nonperishable, dried foods and food pills that we can ration, I also bought a can opener, one for you to Naruto that can be shared equally between us it will go in a side pocket on my pack okay, also got a map for the forest and a compass that we can look over later" Sakura explained.
Grabbing another scroll rationing out the dried food "So no fires will be made is what your saying" the Aburame heir commented realizing how different things were going to be once they got their survival round underway, fighting in a creepy forest didn't really appeal to him though.
Barring not showing up he knew he didn't have a choice Sasuke and Sakura would be angry with him no doubt "Yes exactly Shino-kun" the rosette quipped in an upbeat tone of voice, dividing the food pills up into the mesh bags she'd found.
Sealing them away in the food supply scroll, while they didn't have to worry about their water supply scrolls "Between Sakura and I we have enough medical supplies to last us at least two months probably but I can spare some for Naruto" Sasuke added.
Spying his medical supply scroll and rationed out some for the knucklehead while Sakura did the same for Naruto's teammates and Shino, their medical pouches were also stuffed full with all manners of things.
While Sakura handed over the new weapons, the tantou to Sasuke, "Thanks Sakura-chan" Naruto grinned as he received a new pack of shuriken regular in color sure, she kept a pack of shuriken for herself while the kunai went to Shino.
Weapons supply scrolls were added to their packs with a couple of extra being spared for Kiba and Hinata just in case, lastly was their survival kit though three of the genin doubted they'd use it, followed by sleeping bags until their packs were completely ready.
With that Naruto, Sasuke, Shino and Sakura flopped back on the floor staring at the ceiling "How do you think it will go tomorrow, why because I have a feeling that things aren't going to be good for us" Shino commented.
Echoing Sakura's earlier sentiments of having a foreboding feeling about the forest of death, none of them had an answer though until a knock on the door came "Oi Naruto Let Us In, My Ma Decided To Kick Me Out For The Night" Kiba yelled from outside the house.
Naruto groaned but popped up from the ground to go answer the door "K..Kiba-kun how many ti..times have I t..told you do..don't be so loud in fro..front of other people's houses, s..sorry Naruto-kun but d..do you think Mr. and Mr..Mrs Haruno would mind if we stayed the night" Hinata scolded before making her own request.
Apologizing sheepishly at the same time "Course not Hinata-chan, Kiba-kun you two are very welcome to spend the night so long as you actually get some sleep" Mebuki piped in from behind the duo, Kiba shuddered at how easily the woman had snuck up on him.
"I think you scared him Mebuki-chan" Kizashi laughed raucously slapping the Inuzuka heir on the back, Naruto fought down the hysterical laughter that he wanted to break out in at the look on Kiba's face, utter horror and disturbance.
Before he cleared his throat and gestured for his teammates to take off their sandals and follow him up the stairs, where Sakura passed over the extra supply scrolls that she'd set aside for them and flopped down on her belly.
Map spread out on the floor in front of her with Shino and Sasuke crowded around it, deciding to go with it Kiba and Hinata joined the other genin on the floor alongside of Naruto where they spent at least an hour pouring over it and plotting out routes that would lead them to the tower.
Until the older Haruno's called them down for supper where the meal was a literally riot with Kiba at the table, he did get whacked a couple of times with a spoon that Mebuki carried around before the woman sent them to shower and go to bed.