Previously:

"So, when is it?" Kakashi asked.

"In a week." The Hokage replied, taking a puff on his tobacco pipe.

"Wow, that soon?" One of the other jōnin asked, surprised. The Third exhaled the smoke from his lungs.

"Well, I'll announce it properly, seven days from now." The wizened old man said calmly. "On the first day of the seventh moon… the Chūnin Selection Exam will commence!!"

Chapter 35: Powerful New Rivals

"Now… First, we'll hear from those who are watching over the new genins." The Hokage said. "Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma… Well?" He asked as all three of them stepped forward. "Are there any genins that you would like to enter into this Chūnin Selection Exam? I don't have to tell you, but… after a genin has properly completed at least eight missions, they may take the exam if nominated by their sensei. Of course, completing more missions than that is the norm."

'He doesn't need to ask, they aren't ready.' Iruka thought with a frown.

"Now, starting with Kakashi…" The Hokage said, prompting the jōnins to begin. Following proper etiquette, Kakashi raised one hand in the Seal of Confrontation.

"The Kakashi led Team 7," Kakashi said, "Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, April Starr, Sakura Haruno… Under the name of Kakashi Hatake, I nominate all of them to take the Chūnin Selection Exam."

"What!?" Iruka gasped, startled.

"The Kurenai led Team 8," Kurenai said, following Kakashi's lead. "Hinata Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame… Under the name of Kurenai Yūhi, the same as to my left."

"The Asuma led Team 10," Asuma said, making the Seal of Confrontation. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Chōji Akimichi… Under the name of Asuma Sarutobi, the same as to my left."

"Hmm… All of them…" The Hokage said thoughtfully. "How rare…"

"Hold on a second!" Iruka blurted out.

"What is it, Iruka?" The Hokage asked calmly.

"Hokage-sama, please, let me have a word!" Iruka said urgently. "I may be speaking out of place, but most of these nine… were students of mine at the academy. Of course, they are all very talented, but it's too early to take the exam. They need more experience. I can't understand the jōnins' reasoning."

"I became a chūnin when I was six years younger than Naruto." Kakashi reminded him. Age had nothing to do with it. When you were ready, you were ready.

"Naruto is different from you!!" Iruka snapped. "Are you trying to crush these kids!? The Chūnin Exam is…!"

"They're always complaining about how the missions. Experiencing some pain may be good for them…" Kakashi retorted coolly. "Crushing them could be fun…"

"What…!?" Iruka shouted, appalled.

"Well, that was a joke, Iruka-sensei…" Kakashi stated calmly. "I can understand your feelings, it must upset you, but…"

"Ugh…" Iruka furrowed his brow, still angry that he would even joke like that.

"Kakashi, stop already…" Kurenai said, furrowing her brow slightly. Why were they even arguing about this?

"Stay out of this. They are no longer your students…" Kakashi continued, looking Iruka straight in the eye. It was important that he understand this. "Right now… They are my soldiers."

"…" Iruka grit his teeth in frustration. What Kakashi had just said was true. He no longer had any authority over Naruto and the others.

'Geez… So annoying…' Asuma thought, sweat-dropping. Those two were getting way too worked up…

"…" The Hokage watched silently. The corner if his mouth curved upwards slightly in the hint of a smirk. It was rare to see Kakashi like that. He must really like his new team.

–∞–

"Nee-chan!!" Konohamaru cried, burying his face in April's chest, as he clung to her.

"Konohamaru-kun…" April said, placing a hand his head. "I'm glad you're all right, but quit it. I know I what you're trying to do…" She said tersely with a tense smile as she pushed his head back to stop him from repeatedly rubbing his face against her boobs.

"Ehe…" Konohamaru laughed a bit sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed (but mostly disappointed) that he had been caught.

'Well, he should be fine if he's still energetic enough to try to cop a feel in this situation…' April thought with a sigh as she set him down and stood up to face the enemy, whose attention was still on Sasuke at the moment.

"Tch… Another guy who pisses me off…" Konohamaru's assaulter muttered darkly as he glared up at Sasuke, cradling his injured hand.

"Get lost!" Sasuke said sternly, furrowing his brow, as he returned the enemy's glare.

"Kyaa!!! So cool!!!" Sakura and Moegi squealed excitedly with heart-shaped eyes. Even Udon was looking a little starry-eyed. "Go get him, Sasuke-kun!!!" Naruto, Konohamaru, and April all sweat-dropped. The boys were embarrassed and chagrined that Sasuke had made them look so uncool in comparison. April simply didn't think this was the time to be fangirling.

"Naruto-niichan… You suck…" Konohamaru said disappointedly, causing Naruto to flinch in shock. "I believed in you…"

"No, dummy!!" Naruto said nervously, starting to panic. "I could easily defeat that guy!"

"Hmph!" Konohamaru huffed, crossing his arms, as he turned away.

'Damn you, Sasuke!!!' Naruto thought furiously, grinding his teeth in frustration, as he clenched his fist. 'Why are you always making me look bad!?'

"Well… In all fairness, Konohamaru-kun, I don't think that guy's the type of opponent that'll be defeated so easily…" April said with wry smile, feeling kind of sorry for Naruto. His 'cool and dependable big bro' image seemed to be in critical condition.

'Oh? Not bad…' The blonde girl thought, sparing a brief glance in April's direction upon hearing that. It seemed she had managed to pick up on something that most people missed until it was too late…

"Hey, punk, get down here!!" Konohamaru's assaulter shouted, still completely focused on Sasuke. "I hate showoffs like you the most." He said bitterly, removing the giant bundle from his back.

"!" April furrowed her brow, frowning, as she took up a defensive position. She didn't know what that thing was, but it looked like he was getting ready to fight for real this time.

"Hey, you're even going to use Karasu?" The blonde girl with him asked, taken aback.

"Kankurō, stop it." A new voice said firmly from just behind Sasuke.

"!!" Sasuke and April gasped, startled. Their eyes widened as they turned their heads to look at its owner. A red haired boy was standing upside down on one of the branches of the same tree Sasuke was sitting in. There was a huge gourd strapped to his back, and he had the kanji for 'self love' tattooed on his temple.

"You're an embarrassment to our village." The redhead finished as everyone stared at him, speechless.

"Ga… Gaara…" Konohamaru's assaulter said with a tense smile, sweating nervously. He was obviously afraid of the redheaded boy.

'This guy… When did he…?' Sasuke wondered, furrowing his brow. A bead of nervous sweat threatened to fall down the side of his face. 'That's Kakashi level sneakiness…'

'This guy clearly isn't an ordinary genin…' April thought, frowning, as beads of sweat formed on her brow. She hadn't sensed his presence at all until now, and there was something ominous about his chakra… Even his allies seemed to be afraid of him. His piercing aquamarine eyes were framed by dark rings that indicated a frighteningly severe case of insomnia. '… He might not be… completely stable…' She realized worriedly.

"Losing yourself in a fight, how pathetic… Why do you think we came to the Leaf Village?" Gaara asked, staring down at Kankurō with disdain.

"Listen, Gaara," Kankurō said nervously, "they started it, and…"

"Shut up… I'll kill you." Gaara snapped coldly. Kankurō immediately shut his mouth as he flinched with fear, breaking out into a cold sweat. The look in Gaara's eye sent a chill up April's spine. He meant it. He seriously meant it.

"Okay, I'm sorry…" Kankurō apologized quickly with a trembling voice, desperate not to get killed.

"I'm also sorry… Really sorry…" The blonde girl added nervously, trying to help defuse the situation.

'So this one's the leader…' Sasuke thought, seeing how subservient the others had suddenly become. 'He has strange eyes…'

"My apologies, you guys." Gaara said politely, looking at Sasuke. 'To be able to hit that Kankurō with a stone… He's good…' He thought.

"!!" Sasuke said, surprised, when a whirl of sand suddenly swirled up around the creepy redhead, transporting him to the ground in an instant to join his comrades.

'That one, too…' Gaara thought, casting a glance at April. Not only did she take advantage of the second the stone hit Kankurō's hand to break through his guard, but she appeared to have sensed Kankurō's chakra threads as she brushed past him, because she had flared her own chakra just enough to keep them from being able to attach… and she had done all of this in an instant while carrying that child… 'But for all her skill, she's weak…' He thought dismissively. Her chakra levels were not at all remarkable, completely different from the guy who had thrown the stone. "It looks like we got here too early, but… we didn't come here to play around." He reminded his siblings.

"I know that…" Kankurō said nervously, still sweating heavily.

"Let's go." Gaara said, turning to leave.

"Hey, wait!!" Sakura said abruptly, stopping them.

"!" April's eyes widened as she glanced at her teammate out the corner of her eye. What was she thinking? Did she not understand how dangerous these guys were!?

"What?" Gaara asked calmly.

"Judging by your forehead protectors, you guys are… ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village, right? You may be allies with the Leaf Village, but… it is forbidden for shinobi's to enter each other's villages without permission." Sakura stated rather bravely. "State your purpose. Depending on it, we may not be able to let you go…"

'Hey, now…' April thought a little nervously, sweat-dropping. What Sakura had said just now wasn't wrong, but in this case wouldn't it be better to immediately notify someone of higher rank and skill instead? Who said they didn't have permission to be there? Did She really think it was that easy to break into the village? And what was with 'we may not be able to let you go'? Those sand ninjas had been the ones letting them go before she stopped them…

"Hah! Talk about clueless… Don't you know anything?" The blonde asked sassily as she pulled out her pass, holding it up for them to see.

"!" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow. So they did have permission…

"You're right, we are genins from the Hidden Sand." She continued. "We have come to your village to take the Chūnin Selection Exam."

"… Chūnin Selection Exam…?" Naruto asked, looking totally clueless.

'I'm guessing it's a promotion exam to become chūnin…' April thought wryly, sweat-dropping.

"Geez… You really don't know anything…" The blonde said disapprovingly, crossing her arms.

"Please enlighten us, then." April retorted with a brilliant shit-eating grin. The blonde raised an eyebrow at her, but then went on to do just that.

"The chūnin exam is where outstanding genins from Suna, Konoha, and other neighboring villages assemble to take an exam to become chūnin." She explained rather helpfully.

"Why do we take it together?" Naruto asked curiously.

"The main purpose is said to be to improve relationships between the allies and raise the shinobi level, but also each country likes to maintain a power balance and…" The blonde trailed off when she realized he wasn't even listening.

"Hey, Konohamaru!!! Think I should enter this chūnin exam thing!!?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"You bastard!!" The blonde snapped indignantly, clenching her fist. "You asked the question, listen til the end!!!!"

"Haha, sorry about that… I'm afraid he has the attention span of a goldfish!" April apologized wryly, rubbing the back of her neck. 'I see… so in addition to being an exam, it also serves a more diplomatic purpose…' She thought. That explanation was pretty helpful.

"Hey, you." Sasuke said a he joined them on the ground. "What's your name?"

"Huh? You mean me?" The blonde asked a little excitedly, blushing slightly.

"No. You, with the gourd." Sasuke said, looking straight at the redhead with the creepy eyes.

'You'd know it if you had been listening…' April thought, sweat-dropping. Hadn't they already said it?

"… Gaara of the desert…" Gaara answered, furrowing his brow slightly. "I'm also interested in you. Your name?"

"It's Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke answered confidently. The wind blew, rustling the leaves in the treetops above, as the two genins stared each other down.

"Hey!! What about me!? Huh!?" Naruto butted with a grin, breaking the heavy atmosphere without hesitation.

"Not interested." Gaara replied bluntly as he turned away to leave. "Let's go…" He told his comrades. With that, the three sand ninja made themselves scarce and quickly disappeared.

'Heh, this is getting interesting…' Sasuke thought with a smirk.

'Phew…' April thought, breathing a sigh of relief. She was glad their little encounter had ended peacefully. Those three sand ninjas were no joke.

"Konohamaru, do I look weak?" Naruto asked a little dejectedly, upset that eyebrowless kid with the gourd had given him the brush off despite having gone out of his way to ask about Sasuke.

"Weaker than Sasuke-niichan, yes." Konohamaru replied honestly. That was the last straw for Naruto.

"Sasuke!!! I won't lose to you!!!" Naruto ranted furiously with multiple veins throbbing on his head, flailing his arms wildly, while April held him back.

"What's your problem!?" Sasuke asked, annoyed.

"Seriously, would you quit trying to attack your teammate?" April chided Naruto. "He just helped us."

"What!? Aren't you mad, April!?" Naruto shouted incredulously, rounding on her. "I mean, you made such a cool entrance, but all anyone cared about was that jerk and his stupid pebble!!"

"Not really." April answered with a straight face, surprising him. It wasn't Sasuke's fault that he was born with a face that just happened to make most girls lose all common sense. "It was because he threw that pebble that I was able to save Konohamaru-kun. Not everything is a competition, Naruto. I doesn't matter to me who gets the credit as long as I can protect what's important to me."

"April…" Naruto said, kind of impressed, as he and the Konohamaru Corps stared at her in awe. That was… actually pretty cool…

"Naruto-niichan, I think you just lost to April-neechan in terms of manliness…" Konohamaru said, causing him to flinch in shock.

"Damn it!!" Naruto cursed as he clenched his fist, frustrated that everyone else kept showing him up.

"So, what do you think?" Another foreign ninja, who had a musical note engraved on his forehead protector, asked his three comrades as they watched from another tree a safe distance away.

"Hmm… That purple-haired girl is pretty cute..." The comrade wearing a specially modified muzzle/gas mask over his mouth said, drooling a little behind it. He just might want to add her to his collection...

"That wasn't what he meant, and you know it." Their bandaged leader deadpanned, sweat-dropping, as they watched the muzzled boy warily out the corner of his eye. What a creep… They hoped his bad habit wouldn't kick in before they had a chance to start the exam. "Anyway…" He said, getting back on point. "Nothing serious, but… that black-haired leaf ninja, and the sand ninja with the gourd… Let's keep an eye on them." He decided.

"?" April said when her body shuddered a little instinctively. She glanced around, and her eyes landed on the tree where the four ninja had been hiding, but they were already gone. "…" April frowned slightly as she furrowed her brow in confusion. She could have sworn she felt something really unpleasant from that direction just a second ago…