Chapter 3: The Hokage's Meeting

The sun was making its way up into the sky slowly, waking up the sleepy villagers, and telling them to get up and get ready for the day. The sky was turning lighter and lighter shades of blue because of the sun's light reflecting through it, making the darkness retreat for another day. The streets were now becoming busier because of people coming onto them, going along with their regular routines and making their way around. Ninjas that had their day off were out with their families or just staying in their houses, wanting to relax, even if it was only for a day. Other ninjas were making their way to the Hokage's office, receiving their missions and setting out to complete them.

The Hokage had one of the hardest jobs in the Hidden Leaf Village. He had to hand out missions to other ninjas, make sure that no one was trying to attack the village, and read through piles and piles of paperwork before signing off on them. He had to admit, the paperwork was the toughest job that he had to do. Every day, there would be piles of it that he would have to file through. It was a pain in the ass to him, but he did want to become Hokage of Konoha, so he had to expect this from the job. Tsunade was still helping him with some things, but other than that, he was pretty much on his own.

Naruto let a sigh escape his lips as he leaned back in his chair. He stared at the piles of paperwork around his office and pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn, this is a lot of paperwork to do. I'm starting to wish that I hadn't given Sakura that day off that she wanted. One of his old friends and the other member of Squad 7, Sakura Haruno, was one of his assistants with the job. She would hand him pieces of paper one after the other so the work went a bit faster. She would even read some of the papers and explain to him (in simple terms) what was being explained on paper. His other assistant, Angel from the Hataina clan, was out sick with pneumonia, so he was on his own for today. And to top it all off, he had to meet with George Williams, Amaterasu, Josh Eisenberg, and Yumi Matsumoto to discuss the Chunin Exams. It seems I picked a bad time for the Chunin Exams to be held. Ah, well. That's my fault. I've gotta deal with it. He turned around in the chair and stared out the wall window, its clear glass hiding no details from him.

It always calmed him down during the day to see the village that he had spent his whole life in go on through its paces without so much as a hindrance. The people were doing their business, like they always did. The wind blew through the trees normally and not bringing a bad omen with it. He smiled slightly at the scene. He was lucky to be Hokage. He honestly didn't know what he would do without his friends. They made it possible for him to become the Hokage in the first place. He felt like one of the luckiest guys in the world (minus the paperwork, obviously).

He turned back around and picked up the single sheet of paper on the desk. He began to read through it carefully, trying to pick out the most important details from it. It took him a couple minutes for him to read through it and he placed it back on the desk, taking out a pen. He clicked the top of it and set the tip down on the paper, where it said to sign off. He signed his name and put the paper to the side. He grabbed another one and repeated the process of reading, signing, and placing it to the side.

He had been doing so for a while when he heard a knock on the other side of the door. Who could be bugging me at this hour? He put the pen down and leaned forward in the chair, his hands folded together on the desk.

"Who is it?" He called out.

"It's me, sir. We're supposed to talk about the Chunin Exams." George's voice came through the door.

"Come in." The door opened and the black-haired male stepped into the room. George shut the door behind him and walked further into the room. He stopped when he was about two feet away from the desk and bowed slightly.

"I see you're healthy and fit, just as always, Naruto-sama." George commented.

"When am I not?" Naruto replied back with a smile. George lifted his head and surveyed the room. Always with the paperwork, huh? It's gotta be a pain in the neck, if you ask me. Naruto noticed him doing this, but didn't bother to stop him. It was uncommon for George to come by if it wasn't for a mission. He leaned back in his chair once again and sighed softly. The black-haired male saw this and tried to come up with something to say, but nothing came out. He gave up after several moments and looked down at the floor.

"So, we're waiting for three more people, right?" Naruto asked after a while. George was broken from his little trance and lifted his head to look at the Uzumaki.

"Y-yes." He managed to stutter out. Naruto simply nodded and George went back to staring at the floor, the only thing that was keeping him inside.

Yumi ran through the front gate into the village with incredible speed. She was doing this because she feared that she was going to be late for the meeting. And I have to drop off my guitar case at my house, too! Agh! What a pain this is! She sped through the streets, somehow avoiding hitting people with her body or the instrument case in her hand. No one seemed to give her much attention because of her speed, which she liked. The less of a ruckus was caused, the better, she always said.

She skidded to a stop in front of a royal blue, two-story apartment that was in the middle of two three-story apartments. She walked up to the front door, a pristine white coating of paint on its wooden surface, and pulled out a dirty golden key from her pocket. She placed it in the lock and turned it to the right, unlocking the door. She took it out and turned the knob, pushing the door open. She walked into the kitchen and shut the door behind her. Her eyes glanced over to the right and saw the stairs that led up to the second floor of the apartment. She turned toward them and climbed them, making sure that her guitar case didn't bump into the wall when she made the smooth turn on the stairs.

She reached a doorway and walked through it, walking into her bedroom. There was a medium-sized window off to her right that faced the street, a bureau right next to the doorway, her full-sized bed in the middle of the large, spacious room, and a large mirror that was across the room from the window. She walked up to the bed and lifted the guitar case, placing it on the bed. She let it drop onto its side and smiled before turning swiftly on her heels and making her way back downstairs. She went to the front door, not even bothering to grab a quick bite to eat (since she was in the kitchen). She opened the door and stepped through it. After she closed it, she made sure to lock it before shoving the key back into her pocket and making her way down the street at a fast, hurried pace.

She made it to the Hokage's tower several minutes later and walked into the building after getting clearance from the two ANBU ninja stationed there. She walked through the long hallway, admiring the place. She had been here plenty of times in the past, but she just couldn't get over how beautiful the place was. She walked up a set of stairs and made her way down another hallway before stopping at a certain door. There was nothing special about the door itself, but she knew that, beyond the door, was where the Hokage stayed. She knocked on the door twice and stood there, waiting somewhat impatiently for an answer. She was tapping her foot on the carpeted floor, unable to help herself.

"Who is it?" She heard the Hokage's voice come through.

"It's Yumi Matsumoto, sir. I'm here in regards to the Chunin Exams."

"Come in." He said. She opened the door and stepped inside. She was surprised by the amount of paperwork in the room. Man, will he ever get a break from all this paperwork? I fear it's going to drown him someday. She shut the door behind her and took a more detailed look around the room. Naruto was sitting at his desk (as usual) and George Williams was standing there, looking at the floor. So, I'm not the first one here. But more importantly, I'm on time. She walked up to George and stood beside him. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear,

"Don't be so nervous, George-kun. This meeting will be over before you even know it." George sighed some, making Yumi worry a bit. Had she said something wrong or offensive? She just didn't know. She took her hand off of his shoulder and let her hand fall back to her side.

"I guess you're right. I'm just a worrywart, that's all." He said after a while.

"Everyone worries about something every once in a while. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"But I seem to worry all the time."

"It happens when you have three kids under your wing. It's just showing that you're looking out for them."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Yumi allowed herself to smile a bit. At least George understood what she was trying to say to him. She turned back toward the Hokage, who seemed to be contemplating something. She didn't bother to ask, though. It was none of her business, anyways. It was probably important, though. She kept this thought in mind while waiting for the other two people to get there so they could start the meeting.

Amaterasu leapt through the trees, pushing off each branch she landed on with a bit of strength. She was annoyed at her students because Haruo and Ayane had gotten into another argument. Lee had gone off somewhere else to avoid the screaming and tension. Amaterasu had tried to break them up, and it took a bit of time and a bit of fuss just to separate them. She then scolded them for yelling at each other and for possibly making their teacher late for her meeting with the Hokage. She had wanted to slap the two of them for arguing over something so stupid, but had withheld herself, just like every other time she had done this. She landed on a branch and pushed off with a bit more strength than last time. She wasn't happy, and it clearly showed every time the emotion came knocking at her front door.

She made it to the Hidden Leaf Village's front gate and walked through it without so much as a hindrance. She looked up with her dark gray eyes and saw the Hokage's tower in the distance. She quickened her pace. She weaved her way through the small crowds of people that were on the street without tripping over someone's foot and falling flat on her face or bumping into someone and landing on her backside. She was pretty small, so it was easy for her to do such a thing.

A small smile appeared on her face as she finally reached the Hokage's tower. However, the smile disappeared quickly when she saw Josh ahead of her. She ran up to him and poked his shoulder harshly. The blonde-haired male turned his head slightly and smiled.

"Well, it's good to see you again, Amaterasu-chan."

"Hmph! I can't say the same thing about seeing you."

"Ah, you're too harsh."

"I'm pissed."

"Is it because of your students getting into a fight again?"

"You guessed it, Maestro."

"I feel your pain." He was actually speaking the truth when he said this. He sometimes hated his students because of their arguments that would normally turn into duels. He would usually have to break them up, and that could be a royal pain in the ass. He sighed some and strolled into the building. Amaterasu quickly got confirmation to go in and went inside. She followed Josh through the corridor. She noticed that he was going a bit faster than usual. Doesn't he try to avoid being on time for meetings? What's with him today? She didn't bother to ask. She just wasn't in the mood for talking herself.

The two reached the Hokage's office not even a minute later and Josh knocked on the door. Almost immediately, they heard Naruto's voice come through the door,

"Who is it?"

"It's Josh and Amaterasu."

"Come in." He said somewhat wearily. Josh opened the door and strolled in, Amaterasu right behind him. She noticed that George and Yumi were already there. Naruto wasn't even looking at her or Josh. I'm only going to guess that we're on time, since we're not being scolded for being late. She stood beside Yumi and Josh stood next to George. Naruto sighed and looked up at them with a serious look on his face.

"You all should know why I called you to my office." The four of them nodded in unison. Naruto continued,

"We're here to discuss the Chunin Exams." Silence filled the room. Naruto had expected that, to be honest. The Chunin Exams was something that many ninja took very seriously, including himself. The topic had never been taken lightly by anyone, and he liked it that way.

"I've talked with the three elders and have discussed the best time to have the exams. After some debate, we figured that the beginning of the exams will be at the end of this week. That's only in about two days, give or take, if my memory serves correctly. Now, I need to ask each and every one of you an important question, so listen up." Naruto's gaze went toward Amaterasu first, making her slightly nervous. She kept her cool, though, and stared him dead in the eyes.

"Are your students ready?" Naruto asked.

"Haruo, Ayane, and Lee Watanabe are ready to participate in the Chunin Exams, sir." Amaterasu replied. Naruto's gaze went over to Yumi and raised one of his eyebrows, indicating that she was supposed to answer the question.

"Rose Jefferson, Dante Hendershot, and Yuuta Takahashi are ready to proceed with the exams." The gaze went over to George, Naruto keeping the same expression on his face.

"Akahana Yamazaki, Akihiko Sasaki, and Zero Michaelis are ready to participate, sir." Lastly, there was Josh.

"Ray, Takashi, and Karin are ready for the Chunin Exams, sir." Naruto smiled at this. It seemed that all twelve students were ready for the Chunin Exams. It was going to be interesting, watching the students fight their way through a good challenge.

"Alright. You're dismissed." The four teachers disappeared from the room swiftly and Naruto leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his eyes some and stared at the ceiling. At least that's out of the way. Now, let's see if I can finish this damn paperwork without falling asleep. He picked up another sheet of paper from the pile and began to read it over. Yeah, paperwork is the hardest part of the job for the Hokage. So demanding, and there was usually a lot of it to go through. Not fun in the least.

George was walking to the dango shop to meet with his students. He had told Akihiko the night before to tell the other two that they should go to the dango shop at high noon sharp the next day. He had a feeling that Akihiko had done so. He usually followed his orders without question. Also, the boy had a close relationship with him, and it wasn't just because of them both appreciating art (although that was part of it). He felt that Akihiko could talk about his problems easier with him than his parents. Akihiko had said once that he loved his parents dearly and didn't want to hurt them with his opinions, so he usually kept them to himself. George had told him that if he needed someone to talk to, that he could talk to him anytime. Akihiko agreed to it, and now, every once in a while, the boy would come over to his house or George would go over to his house and discuss whatever was on their minds, and the two would talk for hours on end. Oh, how George loved those times.

He came upon the dango shop not too long after and stepped inside. In one corner of the shop sat his students, already eating their dango. Akahana noticed him first and waved him over with a smile on her face. George couldn't help but smile at this and he walked over to their table. Akihiko waved at him shyly and Zero acknowledged his presence by nodding once in his direction. George took a seat next to Akihiko and surveyed his students quickly. He grabbed a stick of dango and bit into one. He chewed it somewhat thoughtfully before swallowing.

"As you know, I've met with the Hokage just recently."

"Ooh! What did he say?" Akahana said, her voice full of excitement.

"I told him that you guys were ready for the Chunin Exams. I've seen your progress over the course of a year and your skills and teamwork have significantly improved, so I believe that I made the right decision when I told him that. Do you feel ready for the exams?"

"Yeah!" Akahana exclaimed.

"Sounds interesting. I'll do it." Akihiko said next.

"It does sound like something that we could do. Sure, I've got nothing else to do." Zero spoke in his soft voice.

"Alright, if that's how you feel, I'll accept it. They take place at the end of the week, so make sure you mark it on your calendars. I just want to warn you of one thing, though."

"What's that?" Akahana and Akihiko spoke simultaneously. George now grew serious and placed the clean stick back onto the plate. He looked them over carefully, studying them. He took in a deep breath and spoke in a serious manner,

"I'll warn you now, the exams will test you to your limits. This is not just some trip through the park. You are going to have to work as a team more than ever and depend on one another if you wish to live." A heavy silence fell over the table. The three teens had not expected their own sensei to say something like that. If he was saying something like that and he actually meant it, that could only mean one thing; they would have to heed his words and take them seriously. Akahana worked up the courage to speak up after a little while,

"Don't worry, sensei. We'll make it through. We know each other well enough by now to know what each of us can do and what each of us can not do. And you said it yourself; we're a good team. We'll make it through. I promise!" As she finished her statement, she placed a hand over her heart to show that she meant what she said. Her olive green eyes were brimming with confidence. George couldn't help himself but approve of her words.

"I knew I could count on you three. Make me proud to be your sensei when you're out there."

"Right!" The three teens said in unison. George picked up the other stick of dango and smiled a bit more. Maybe they are actually ready for the exams. I just hope they're going to be okay without me there. He was a worrywart, but he had to be at least a little bit. He knew from his own experiences from the Chunin Exams that they could be dangerous and sometimes deadly if one didn't take them seriously. He ate his dango without another word. The teens went to talking about something completely different. He would just let them talk for now. They deserved to have some fun before they went into one of the most challenging tests of their entire lives.

"Are you serious?!" Karin exclaimed in surprise. Josh had just told her, Ray, and Takashi that they had been accepted into the exams and that they were going to take place at the end of the week. Ray didn't seem all that bothered by it, but it was hard to tell how he felt, since he did not usually reveal much at all. Takashi seemed to be a bit excited at the news, a big smile on his face. Josh had just taken another drag from his cigarette when Karin slammed her hands on the table, startling Takashi and Josh somewhat.

"You're serious, sensei? You told the Hokage that we were ready for the Chunin Exams?" Josh could see the fire burning in her pink-colored eyes. He nodded and replied,

"Yes, I did. I asked you if you were ready before I left, and you said that you were. So I told him that all three of you were ready to participate in the exams. And don't worry, there's plenty of competition to sink your teeth into. Didn't you say that you were looking for something more challenging, Karin?" She opened her mouth, but nothing was coming out. Josh had a point, she noted. She had told him that only a few days ago, so she had no right to complain about it. She sat back down in her chair, unable to come up with an answer. So, sensei just trumped Karin and made her shut her goddamn mouth for once. Oh, how sweet victory feels! Ray thought happily. He didn't reveal this, though. The last time he had let out his evil smile (and it's creepy), his teammates and sensei had slowly backed away from him and walked the other way. Obviously, they had been intimidated. He didn't blame them for being scared. A lot of kids had been scared of him back at the academy (and I mean a lot).

"So, we only have about two days to prepare for these exams. Right, sensei?" Takashi asked. Josh nodded and took another drag from his cigarette. The purple-haired male leaned back in his seat and smiled slightly. Finally! Something interesting's gonna happen! I can't wait! Takashi had to resist jumping up in the air and cheering. That would probably bring him some odd stares, and that wasn't something he wanted to do. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and sat there, his face portraying no emotion.

Haruo, Ayane, Lee, and Amaterasu were sitting around a round table in the Watanabe household, four cups of black tea, one for each of them. Ayane looked like she was ready to leap out of her seat and shoot through the house and into the sky like a human rocket, the way she was fidgeting in her chair. Haruo had the same apathetic expression on his face, but Amaterasu saw a spark of excitement in his eyes. Lee was harder to read, though. Amaterasu found it slightly harder to read Lee than his two older siblings, but she could probably guess he didn't exactly like the idea of the exams. She believed that he was probably thinking that it involved fighting other people. Lee was a pacifist, not liking the idea of fighting others, unlike his brother and sister who loved fighting. Amaterasu placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her straight in the eyes.

"Don't worry, Lee. If my memory serves me, the first part of the exam doesn't involve any fighting. It's just a written test. You're used to those, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then you'll have nothing to worry about, at least in that part of the exam. Remember, I've done this before. I can give you any piece of advice that you need."

"Okay." Amaterasu took her hand off of his shoulder and placed it back in her lap. She knew that, even with any advice she gave him, Lee was going to be nervous about the idea of fighting other shinobi. She picked up her cup and sipped at it, feeling the warm liquid run down her throat into her stomach. Black tea always helped her calm down in stressful situations. She looked over toward Haruo, who was also sipping at his tea. She believed that he was possibly thinking of how he was going to deal with his siblings during the exams. She wouldn't have blamed him for this. Sometimes, dealing with younger siblings got out-of-hand and stressful. She leaned back in her chair, wondering what the hell she should do while her students were taking the exams.

Yumi was strumming her guitar softly, breaking the silence in the room. Her students were waiting for her to tell them the new of what happened at the Hokage's place. Just looking at their body postures told her that all of them were anxious and somewhat impatient. She couldn't hold them against it. She had reacted the same way years ago when her sensei was going to tell her and the rest of her team about the Chunin Exams. She had been so excited when her sensei finally told them the news all of them had been waiting for, she had actually leapt into the air and cheered to the heavens. Her sensei and teammates laughed at her, but she couldn't have possibly cared less about their reactions. She was just happy that she had been accepted to take the exams in the first place.

And now, her students were the same way that she was years ago, and it put a smile on her face. She did not stop strumming her guitar, but she began speaking in her calmest voice,

"You've all been accepted to take the exams."

"Really?!" Rose and Dante exclaimed at the same time. Yumi nodded.

"Booyah, baby! We're going to be in the Chunin Exams! This is going to be so much fun!' Dante said as he jumped into the air, one fist held high. Rose smiled big, happy to know that she was going to be in something that was going to truly test her abilities as a ninja. Yuuta simply smiled.

"That's a relief to hear. I was concerned for a time that we weren't going to get in." Yuuta said.

"Well, I knew in my heart that you would. I've seen you three progress and make astounding improvements in your teamwork. I'm confident in your abilities and your teamwork. You'll make it out fine. I just know it. I can feel it." Yumi answered. Yuuta was comforted by her answer. It was good to know that his sensei had the utmost confidence in her students. He looked over toward his teammates, enthusiastic about the news, and just allowed himself to smile with them. He knew them well enough to know that he could trust them with everything he had, including his life. He knew that the Chunin Exams were going to be hard, but with Dante and Rose by his side, it would make things a lot easier for all of them.

Finished with the third chapter! The Chunin Exams are going to start in the next chapter, I promise! Be on the lookout for the next chapter coming up soon and review the chapter.