As the day for the finals neared, Michiko was training harder and harder. Chiaki warned her of a danger in the future, and Michiko need to be prepared. Soon, she was beyond the need for the blades she'd always carried around, and ended up hanging them on her wall as decoration. When she heard Naruto was in the hospital, she decided it couldn't hurt to go see him, and headed out wearing a white tank top with a black cherry blossom on the chest and black short shorts, her black ninja sandals with the white stripe, and her snow white headband tied around her neck. She had redone her Jounin vest, making it white with black lining and black pockets, and checked something in her pocket before checking the clock. She headed out, leaving a note for Kakashi, and started searching the seemingly abandoned hospital. She felt a few chakras, and opened the door silently to see Naruto and Shikamaru against Gaara, who was about to attack Lee.
"Gaara-kun!" she snapped, and everyone's heads snapped towards her. "Michiko-chan!" Naruto said happily, but she could hear the slight stutter in his voice. Shikamaru seemed confused, asking, "Have you met him before? You called him 'Gaara-kun' instead of just 'Gaara'…" "I do know him…" Michiko answered, but she never let Gaara out of her sight, even if Shikamaru had him in his Shadow Possession jutsu, and said, "Gaara-kun…are you trying to kill Lee?" She thought she saw guilt in his eyes for a moment, but it disappeared, and he nodded. She sighed, saying, "You can't do that…I won't let you do that, actually…" She flexed her fingers, pumping chakra to her fist at such a rate that Gaara immediately noticed. He seemed to back off, and she sighed, saying, "You've put him through enough…don't you need to train for the finals tomorrow anyway?"
She thought she saw guilt cross his face again when she said 'finals tomorrow', and she gave him a slightly confused look before he brushed past her, and she thought him say, "Gomen…" 'What's going on? What's gonna happen tomorrow?' Naruto dragged her out of her thoughts, saying, "It's a good thing you showed up when you did, or he would have killed us!" "No…he wouldn't have…"
Naruto gave her a confused look before she shook her head clear, saying, "How are you feeling, Naru-kun? Why'd you get in the hospital?" "I learned how to summon!! I can bring out Gamabunta!!" Michiko's eyes widened, and she stared at Naruto a moment, thinking, 'He's gotten much stronger…but not strong enough to bring out a boss! Not yet, anyway…' 'It's because he's the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, so he used the demons chakra to do it.' 'Wait…NARUTO is a Jinchuuriki too?' she remembered how the adults seemed to hate him, and the older kids would pick on him, calling him 'monster' and 'demon'… 'He probably didn't even know he was a Jinchuuriki…' Michiko thought sympathetically before smiling at her friend, saying, "That's great, Naru-kun! You'll do well tomorrow, then!" Naruto nodded, and Michiko sighed, saying, "I need to talk with the Hokage…Shika-kun…" Shikamaru turned to her, listening. "Actually try to win…" her smile was bright as she left. She was at the Hokage's office a few minutes later, and knocked. "Come in!" she opened the door, and smiled at the working Hokage. "Hokage-sama…I feel that we have a situation…"
He was instantly interested, and she sighed. "We may be attacked…or something of that nature…tomorrow during the finals for the Chuunin exams…" "That's interesting…" he smiled. "Thank you, Michiko…" she nodded, and was about to leave when his voice stopped her. "I have some important news for you, as well…" she turned, looking expectant, and his smile widened as he said, "I've talked with the other proctors, and they say you have what it takes to be in ANBU…" her eyes widened as a smile came to her lips. "As a captain…" her face showed pure surprise, and she stuttered out, "A-An ANBU c-captain?" he nodded, and the next moment, she was hugging him over the desk, saying, "Arigato, Hokage-sama!! Arigato!!"
She then sped off to tell Kakashi. She saw him in the bookstore, about to grab another Icha Icha book, but she slapped his hand away from it, and though he gave her an injured look, she said, excitedly, "Hokage-sama says I'll be an ANBU captain!!!"
Kakashi's look of surprise quickly melted into happiness, and he patted her on the head, saying, "You're doing good, Michi…you may even become Hokage soon, too…" "No I won't…" Kakashi gave her a confused look until she smiled up at him. "That's Naruto's dream…"