Here is chapter 8, I hope you'll all like it :) I always lose confidence in my chapters right before I post them, but having such a great beta really helps. And reading the reviews, getting favs and followers to confirm that my story is still good is such a relief and makes me really happy afterwards. Thank you all so much for your support! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 8 - Chūnin Exam - GO!

Naruto

It was a nice day, after all. Even though waiting for Kakashi-sensei got old pretty fast, Konohamaru made up for lost time. His disciple, who was currently in the hands of a foreign ninja with... makeup? And a black cat hood. People were so weird. Why not just wear a jumpsuit. Especially when they came in all sorts of warm colors. Black was so dull and dreary. Orange was much- Konohamaru squirmed in the grip of that... bastard.

"Hey! Let go of him! Who are you peop-"

"Gaara!" Red and pink soared past them all, leaving a flurry of leaves behind. A rustle of the branches above them revealed the hiding spot she now occupied. A muffled, startled cry reached them, and the two inhabitants came tumbling down from the tree. Sakura landed with a thump, clutching this... Gar-thing tightly. Sasuke-teme didn't seem happy about this either, with that stormy face, so they could probably intervene...

The Gaar was a person. A boy. Sakura was hugging a boy. Hugging. Thankfully he didn't respond. In fact he was completely rigid, and his eyes were ready to pop. Then sand crept out from somewhere, swirling in the air, more and more of it, picking up speed. Around them. Circling Sakura-chan.

The boy with the hood had let go of Konohamaru, and Naruto signaled for him and his friends to get out of the red zone. Hood and the girl with him – she had really weird hair – had their eyes fixed on their tattooed redheaded comrade. Both looked terrified.

"Hey, Gaara. I've really missed you. It feels so long, you wouldn't believe how much of a comfort it is for me to see you. I know you're confused, but I'm here for you. The world is just a little more right when you're here too." The sand grew slow and whimsical, settling down in drizzles behind the boy.

"Who... are you?"

"I'm Sakura." She had the biggest smile ever, directed at this boy. "Temari, Kankuro, welcome to Konoha!" The strangers edged away discreetly. "Sasuke, Naruto, these are our guests from Suna."

"Are you some sort of welcoming committee?" The girl eyed them with a skepticism they didn't deserve. At least not him and Teme; only Sakura was the crazy one.

"Oh no. We're taking the Chūnin Exam, same as you." They were? Nobody had mentioned any Chūnin Exam to Naruto. Sakura still had that smile plastered to her face.

"How do you know us? Do you keep files or something?" The girl with the actually quite nice, spiky blonde hair was obviously in charge, and her mood was dropping like a stone. Cat-boy seemed entirely confused, and the other boy... Gaara. He gazed at Sakura with something akin to hunger. He looked like he could actually eat her, just for the fun of it. Creepy Gaara, with his creepy sand.

"I'm not even sure you would believe me, but I'll fill you all in over lunch if that's okay?"

"No, we can't-"

"Just let us finish up with our sensei, he should-"

"Hey, listen! We're not goi-"

"-be here any moment to tell us about the Chūnin Exam. So give us that moment, and we'll grab some lunch. I'll tell you the story of how Suna became our greatest allies, and you our close friends. It's also the story of my first Chūnin Exam."

Aaaand she was lost again.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I'm tired." Branches, leaves, more branches, teams that didn't see them, more forest.

"We're almost there." He shouldn't test her, he knew that, but still…

"Can't we take a break?"

"Shut it Naruto or I'll do it for you! It's named 'the forest of death' for a reason, you know." It didn't seem very deadly to him, though, and they had been at it for hours.

"You're not the one keeping up a Henge on sixty shadow clones." He mumbled his complaints, as he didn't really want to invoke her wrath. She heard anyway.

"Stop being a baby about it. You only transformed forty of them, anyway. I know this is nothing for your stamina." Her words were brusque, but he felt warm anyway. Sure she was right, he could have easily made another hundred of them! Probably. His legs moved a little easier, his feet stopped to drag. This was easy.

There was an amused sound from Sasuke's direction. Naruto glared at him, silently commanding him to shut up. A smirk was the only response he received. That stuck up bastard.

"Stop it, guys. We're here."

The tower, um, towered over them. It was really big, with creeping vines meandering upwards, exploiting every nook and crack. It was imposing as hell, swallowing them in its shadow, making the occasional sunny forest floor seem inviting, as if death traps didn't hide in every deep shade. Sakura-chan smiled brightly back at the tower, obviously relieved and eager to get inside, for some reason. Even Teme relaxed the tiniest bit, and that was really something. He'd been insufferable ever since the announcement of the Chūnin Exam, and he'd been extremely tense during the entire run through the forest.

Sakura didn't hesitate to open the scrolls, no debate apparently needed. A poof of white smoke appeared. Summoning? There was a man inside the smoke. Could it be-

"Iruka-sensei, hi. We finished early. The meanings of heaven and earth are how a shinobi needs both the mind and body to work optimally."

"That's right." Iruka-sensei's smile could warm up even the towering shadows. "Team 7 of Konoha passes the second test of the Chūnin Exam. You may go inside."

"Does this mean I can expel my shadow clones?" Naruto sent his best, most winning smile to Sakura.

"No, keep them as long as you can. At least another three or four hours, or even better, let them dispel on their own. But you don't have to run simultaneously anymore, and you'll get plenty of rest inside. Come on, you two."

Sasuke

Team 7 was the first team to enter the tower by a long shot. Except for being a little winded, they hardly had any marks on them at all. They were in that forest for no more than five hours, due to Sakura pushing them so hard. With the exception of when she used a genjutsu to steal a scroll from another team, they didn't meet anyone, and ran continuously until they reached the tower. Surely, this test shouldn't be that easy. From her accounts of her first Chūnin Exam, but especially from Sakura's expression when she described the traps, teams, even wildlife, he'd understood how deadly such an event could be. Surely they got off the hook too easy.

The first team to enter after themselves, just four hours later, was Suna. Gaara was unscathed, with not a hair out of place, while Temari and Kankuro were slightly more tussled.

His suspicions were confirmed as teams started to trickle inside. The third day, another Konoha team showed up. Sasuke didn't know them very well, but they certainly filled the tower with their presence, and not necessarily in a good way, especially the boy with green spandex and bushy eyebrows. Lee might be the most irritating person alive, save for Naruto. The team was pretty beat up when they arrived, but Lee had clearly taken most of the beating. Sakura fussed around them, only smiling indulgently as this Lee called her 'my beautiful cherry blossom' and 'most youthful and gracious Sakura-san'. Although Sasuke had to admit, their expression as they entered and met Team 7 was pretty priceless. The Hyūga was livid, while a half dead Lee yelled; "I challenge you to a duel, Uzumaki Naruto, on the honor of my youth, for the sake of the beautiful maiden, Sakura-san."

The girl, Tenten, buried her face in her hands, mumbling; "Do you know how many of your team we had to beat to get here? And they were all really loud and obnoxious too."

Sakura and Naruto shared a loaded look, and together they burst into uncontrollable laughter. Sakura didn't stifle her giggles as she engulfed the Hyūga in a tight hug, but she did prove how even pale people like him could get disgustingly red. When she pulled away – after far too long to be appropriate – her eyes were shining wet, almost spilling tears, still laughing slightly. Surely it wasn't that funny. She hugged both Tenten and Lee afterwards, before healing them all. Sakura's habit of hugging strangers was stupid and could possibly put her in danger.

Sasuke didn't trust Gaara yet, for one, even though he did seem pretty attached to her, just after these few days. At least he calmed down considerably, after Sakura pulled him away to talk, and he had initiated a conversation with Naruto afterwards. Sasuke had no idea what they could have talked about, as it was unlikely they had anything in common. Still, Gaara no longer seemed ready to eat Sakura, he had formed some sort of incomprehensible bond with Naruto, and that new expression could almost be comsidered serene.

On the last day, the two other teams of the rookie nine showed up. Sasuke had no idea how they managed to get through, none of them stood out as having any special skills or merits. All of them were exhausted, with dirt clinging to their clothes and faces, accompanied by a certain… odor… which you only get from living outside with no opportunities to get clean or change clothes, and with good help from heavy physical exercise.

First was Team 8. Kiba and Naruto started bickering the second they set foot inside, but Sakura cut them off, demanding to treat all injuries. The timid Hyūga followed Naruto with her eyes, although she seemed ready to faint. Sakura shuffled between the new arrivals. She didn't acknowledge the smell at all, and her nose didn't even twitch a little as her gentle glow enveloped her patients.

The last time Sakura dragged them down to the entrance, only a few hours before the time ran out, Team 10 hauled their battered bodies inside. Sasuke wished his ears could be spared of Ino's shrill voice, but he endured, somehow. It helped a little to know it was temporary, and he was a little thankful that Sakura no longer behaved that way. He felt slightly sorry for Ino's teammates, although Shikamaru seemed too lazy to care, and Chouji was so absorbed in his chips he didn't seem to notice the world around him.

Sure more teams showed up the last day, but Sakura paid them no heed, or in some cases, actually did her best to avoid them. Sasuke was never alone those days, Sakura always made sure there was someone she trusted with him, or preferably herself. It was annoying, especially when he was stuck with that arrogant Hūyga, even worse when Ino pestered him, and unnerving when Gaara – whom Sakura had wrapped around her little finger in no time – stared at him for three hours, just because she had asked with just enough love and endearment in her voice. Sasuke didn't mind Sakura's company that much. She was mostly silent and withdrawn, but sometimes warm and including. If he had to spend his days like this, Sakura could very well be that someone in his presence.

Sakura

"Sakura! You were awesome!" Naruto bounced to her side the second she returned, and he gave her a warm hug.

"Thanks."

Sasuke eyed her critically. "You didn't need to do that." Calculating, and of course he was right.

She twirled a short lock of hair around her finger. "You're right. But… your expressions, and Ino's especially, were very amusing. I think she's still in shock." As a bonus, her match appeared more plausible because of what she did.

Sasuke was still waiting for that explanation. "Alright. It's like this. I only grew my hair out because of a stupid rumor. You know, that one about Sasuke preferring girls with long hair. You might remember how suddenly every girl in class had long hair." Naruto suddenly averted his eyes, and kept shifting and fidgeting, a suspicious smile on his lips. Figures. Her gaze traced the remaining competitors, and landed on a girl who twirled her fingers shyly. "Except Hinata, of course." Both Sasuke and Naruto followed her gaze. Hinata's short strands seemed to stand out all of a sudden. She lifted her gaze long enough to catch Team 7 staring at her, but immediately shielded her burning face behind a veil of black.

"Anyway, keeping my long hair for such a reason would be ridiculous, especially considering how Sasuke never cared about stuff like that. I've been waiting for the perfect moment to cut it. For me it's a symbol of growing up, and casting aside something superficial and self-centered."

Down in the arena, several kunai clanked ineffectively to the ground, as Temari busied herself with reflecting Tenten's weapons with her wind. Seeing people fight in the prelims was decidedly more exciting the first time around. After Temari was declared the winner, Shikamaru managed to outwit that Sound girl for a victory. When his name was called, Naruto looked towards his teammates. He was the only one left, and they had already won their matches. Despite his nerves, Naruto fared far better in his match than last time. It helped a lot to not be exhausted, and of course not having one of Orochimaru's disgusting seals forced upon you. There was no surprise when he was declared the victor, although Kiba's nose was spared this time around.

All too quickly Hinata and Neji were called down to fight. Neji immediately assaulted Hinata with his words, grinding at her low self-esteem. The girl was soon shaking, clutching herself as if she wished to form a wall to his words, but failing as her fear grew and started to show in her eyes.

Still, she didn't back down, as Sakura knew she wouldn't. Soon words were replaced by fists, and the strain on her body started to show. Still, Hinata didn't back down, she kept getting up, gaining strength from seeing Naruto cheering her on from the rail.

She continued to display this courage, with no regard for self-preservation. Her heart would be affected by this for a long time, but she would heal eventually. She would be one strike from death, but Neji would be forced to end his attack. Just like last time. Hinata would survive. This event would trigger a chain reaction, eventually making Neji a better person.

Hinata's breath came in labored gasps, and she staggered and swayed as she got up. Her hands were shaking as they formed the battle stance of the Hyūga clan. Naruto watched with rage written all over his features. Neji was ready for another barrel of attacks.

Sakura couldn't watch this anymore. Screw Neji and his stupid pride, and his idiotic, stupid destiny. He'd have to find another way. Hinata's health was not worth risking just to ensure his moment of realization. "Neji! You've clearly won. If you don't stop this right now, you'll regret it later!"

His glowing jūken fist hit Hinata in the chest, again. Small droplets of blood escaped through the corner of her mouth as her body convulsed. "She might die if you continue! I won't let you harm her anymore."

Neji's livid eyes met hers. "Who are you to speak of this? This has nothing to do with you."

"You're right. Partly. But Hinata is my friend, that makes it my business to care. And, I do have the power to stop you. Hayate, I believe there is a clear winner. Don't you agree?"

"The match is over. Hyūga Neji is the winner." The referee finally declared the results, despite Neji's death glare. Hinata swayed, clouded eyes closing and finally giving in as she toppled over. Sakura was with her and caught Hinata before she could hit the ground. Sakura's hands immediately started to glow and pulsate a gentle green, laying Hinata down and working her way across her chest. Naruto followed, matching Neji's glare with rare anger. In his livid state, Naruto declared his intention to beat Neji, an opponent far too strong for him. Apparently. Sakura felt a twinge of satisfaction knowing how Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja would surprise them all.