So, this chapter is a time skip of sorts, but Naruto explains in some detail everything that happened and his feelings.

Also, thanks to some comments, I re-read this and altered A TON, but it's still probably HORRIBLE.

Also, the chapter title, I can explain! It's the beginning of all the crap that happens next, and it's also the beginning of the end, (Being Sasuke leaving??) And it's the beginning of the end of the beginning, because It's the start of everything leading up to Sasuke leaving, which is only the BEGINNING of the story!

Does that make sense? 0o

I was finally right about something Sasuke wasn't. Something interesting DID happen the next morning.

The Chunin exams were announced.

Over the course of the past few months, so many things happened.

Sasuke and I hadn't moved much in relationship. We still haven't gotten to the kiss on the mouth stage, I'm not sure why. Sometimes it's still weird, but I want to do more.

It started with the Chunin exams, like I said. The next day of normal, crappy training, we met three sand ninja, (Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari,) and wondered why they were there. This led up to Kakashi finally telling us that Genin were coming from everywhere for the Chunin exams. Then he said that he had enrolled us! Totally awesome!

Sasuke and I were doing an okay job of hiding our relationship from Sakura, and I think Iruka went crazy on me the first time I told him. He and Kakashi were both happy, and things were building up between them.

The first part of the Chunin exams was the written exam, which was freakishly hard. I made it through that, along with everyone else. All of the Genin from my class made it through.

Then when we reached the stage of the exams where we had to take scrolls through the forest of death. You could take scrolls from other players, but you had to make it through to the end with yours in tow.

We met that man again. The one who tried to kill us in Kakashi's assassination mission.

I got separated from Sasuke and Sakura, (and eaten by a snake! EW!) then when I found them again, he was there.

A battle between him and I with Kyubbi's chakra led to me being knocked out. There wasn't much more to it.

I don't know what happened after that. I got to see the effects when I woke up. I woke up after everything was over and we were back into the exam.

Sakura had all her long hair cut off short. Sasuke looked the same, but since then, he's been talking to Sakura more and more often. I hoped that was a good sign, since he was getting along with her. I had to wonder what they were talking about, though. As for Sakura's hair, how could that happen? She liked her long hair.

Anything could have happened when I was knocked out, but no one told me.

Then Sasuke went to the hospital. I still don't know why. He was absent for the next part of the Chunin exams, along with Kakashi.

I worried about him a lot. I had overheard Kakashi telling Sakura that everything would be just fine, but she didn't seem convinced.

Something seriously bad had happened. I was missing an important part of vital information.

We passed that part of the exam, and I knew bad things were starting to happen. Suspicious people and some sound ninja were there. The Hokage and some of the Jounin and exam leaders whispered to each other about things. I heard one of them Say something about Sasuke, but I couldn't hear what. It made me wonder.

During the next round, we had prelim battles. I made it through all of these, as well. Sasuke still hadn't come back. With the Chunin exams, I never got a chance to see him.

After the prelim battles, we had a huge chunk of time to practice and train. I went without seeing Sasuke, still. I hoped that when I saw him again, I could ask him just WHAT happened in the forest of death. He had gotten out of the hospital, and started training with Kakashi for the last round.

I wanted Kakashi to train me too, but he found another trainer, (That pervert Ebisu!) for me.

Then I met my current mentor, Jiriya. I mean, pervy sage. He was actually one of the legendary Sanin, and he offered to train me, after showing him my sexy jutsu. It was an odd friendship, and it just sort of…happened. He seemed to know some things about me, and I wondered why.

He taught me some chakra control and such. He was totally awesome and strong, and he promised to teach me a special technique that he had once taught the fourth Hokage. The fourth Hokage's jutsu! YES!

Then before I knew it, the last round was coming up.

The last round was a to the death elimination, (Or until someone gave up, or Genma called it off,) the last one standing after so many rounds would become Chunin. ONE Chunin out of that whole exam! Chunin could also be chosen by the Hokage during the matches.

In the middle of one of the matches, the ANBU squad that was watching sounded an alarm. Then things in Konoha started to unravel.

That man from the sound was back. There was more to him then just a powerful ninja, I knew.

I also worried that more things I was unaware of were going on. Maybe something to do with Sasuke. Something bad.

I found out about Gaara, too. The sand ninja we had met in the beginning.

Like me, he was a Jinchuruki. He housed the one-tailed Shakaku. Gaara was insane. He wanted to kill everyone on earth but himself.He went on a rampage, and Sakura, Sasuke, and I, finally back together, went after him. At the same time this happened, the third Hokage was fighting that sound Ninja.

During our fight with Gaara, Sasuke had weird, black marks on his skin. It put his whole body in pain, and he couldn't fight in the beginning, but got better.

I eventually defeated Gaara and saved them both. I feel quite accomplished!

But when we had defeated Gaara, the sound ninja had killed the third Hokage.

The third Hokage was dead.

There wasn't anything worse that could have happened. The sound ninja got away, and wasn't seen after that.

They had a funeral for him that the entire village attended. Everyone wore black cloaks and brought flowers. That was one of my best friends, Konohamaru's grandfather, and an important leader and inspiration to everyone in the village. When it was over, though, things seemed to lift in spirits.

The village was still a wreck, and without a Hokage, but things calmed down for awhile.

That brings me to the present. This is here and now, after the funeral.

Sakura, Sasuke and I were walking home. No one had spoke yet, and it stayed that way. Sasuke and I waited until Sakura had left and was out of complete sight before heading towards home.

We held hands, but didn't speak until we got back to the Uchiha district and in his house.

"You hungry?" He asked, lifting off the black cloak and before dropping it on the ground, (I glared) hung it up by his door.

"Yeah, kind of." I copied him and hung mine up.

At least what had happened to the Hokage didn't make anything gloomy. Maybe tense, but at least not upsetting.

Maybe now I could ask him about the forest of death and those black marks. I would wait it out, get through the rest of the day, and then ask.

The personality I had seen behind his jerky exterior was slowly fading. Not to give way to the bad things, but just disappearing. He was turning blank.

I wanted the Sasuke I fell in love with to be back. He had changed.

I thought maybe it had something to do with what happened with the black marks, but I couldn't be sure what those were from, or why they were there.

Then I thought of his brother. His revenge. He's still training to be stronger and stronger, but sometime soon in his life, he'll want to find him so he can kill him.

I wish his family never would have been killed, so this wouldn't be a complication. I want Sasuke to forget about his brother and his revenge, and just be happy.

"I moved most of your stuff excluding the furniture over. I took the instant ramen boxes from the kitchen. You should make some."

"We haven't seen each other in a while. At least, not without Sakura, and not with out someone wanting to kill us. How have things been?" I said it in a tone that made it seem like I was pointing out something obvious. Maybe I could make him tell me indirectly.

"Good. I've gotten pretty good with Kakashi training me," He answered, noticing the slight hostility and my voice, and making his sound better. "He's teaching me his chidori technique he used in the land of waves. Who's been training you?"

"This guy I met named Jiriya. He knows Kakashi, and knows a lot of stuff about me. He said he'd teach me some special jutsu, but I don't know what it is," I answered. "I'm probably going to head out to another town in the morning with him."

He stared at me for a moment then nodded. "I was just going to practice and train, anyway," He quickly changed subject. He walked past me and into his kitchen. "Come on, I always cook."

I smiled in spite of myself. "You're not telling me you want me to make you instant ramen are you!?"

"So what if I am?" He turned back to glare at me.

I laughed and ran in, "I'm going, I'm going!"

I never got to asking him about the black marks, or the Chunin exams, the rest of the day and night was too bright.

I always wanted things to be this way. But I didn't know, that tomorrow destinies would alter, and things would turn on us both completely. Bad things.

You all know what happens next, right? Well, wether you do or don't, I must warn you.

Sasuke will turn into an evil, power thirsty, sadistic bastard. (Even more then he already is --)