Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Last Time: Gohan explores Konoha and gets into a sparring match with Rock Lee.

This Time: The match continues and the Exams begin.

Author's Note: DANCE REJOICE AND BE HAPPY, ALL YE COLLEGE STUDENTS!! FOR THE BOUNTIFUL TIME KNOWN FAR AND WIDE ACROSS THE LAND AS SUMMER VACATION HATH FINALLY ARRIVED!

A wind passed over the field, whipping Gohan's cape into a white frenzy. Neither fighter hesitated before speeding at each other again, eyes burning and fists ready to strike.

The two fighters slammed together, then became a flurry of motion. Lee pressed himself as much as he could and send attack after attack at Gohan, aiming to either slip under the dark-haired boy's guard or simply batter his defense into pieces.

Gohan leaned, flowed, blocked, deflected, doing everything he could not to get hit. One of Lee's attacks came in slower than it should have and the young saiyan was able to catch it in his palm and throw it wide. Lee looked alarmed before Gohan's fist slipped through the opening and bashed into the side of his face, throwing the green-clad genin back a step or two. While Lee tried to clear the spots from in front of his vision, Gohan stepped in and landed a hard one-two combo in his opponent's midsection, winding him and doubling Lee over.

Now the caped fighter threw himself backwards, the top of one fool catching the other boy in the chin, snapping him upright and lifting him off the ground. Gohan followed through with the attack, flipping back onto his feet before leaping forward, driving the knife edge of his foot into Lee's already abused stomach, folding the lanky teen around Gohan's leg for a split second before the force of the attack transferred and Lee was blasted away, slamming into an oak tree hard enough to buckle the trunk and send leaves fluttering like a swarm of incensed bees.

Gohan landed lightly on one toe, seeming to float before dropping the rest of his weight down and lowering himself into his guard.

Gai, Neji and Tenten stared openly and shamelessly at the caped Z fighter. Neji and Tenten had seen only a blur of movement before Gohan's foot had connected with Lee's chin. The rest had happened slow enough to see, but fast enough that if you blinked, all you would've seen was Rock Lee impacting the tree.

"Did you see that?" Tenten asked to both of her companions at the same time.

"No." Neji answered, deciding be civil just this once, since saying he did would've gotten him nowhere. The genius cringed as he turned to his sensei. "What happened?" he demanded of the other Green Beast.

Gai didn't answer, watching Gohan with eyes as big as dinner plates, his jaw hanging and working uselessly.

Another, bored, voice answered the Hyuuga. "Well, it seems that Lee just got his ass handed to him by Gohan." The three stunned members of Team Gai looked up and saw Kakashi lounging on the branch over their heads, perverted book in hand, other hand tucked behind his head, looking for all the world that he didn't even notice what'd happened.

Gai sprang to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at his 'rival'. "Great Rival Kakashi! What are you doing here!?"

The other jounin held up his orange book. "Reading, what's it look like?" He flipped the page and glanced over at Gohan, who hadn't moved since his blitz on Lee. "Oh, and watching the newest member of my team beat the hell out of yours." He laughed lightly at something the character in the book did, ignoring the spluttering taijutsu master below him.

"Gohan's on your team?" Tenten asked the lanky jounin, sounding surprised. "But you already have a three man cell don't you?"

Kakashi's half-opened eye regarded the kunoichi below him. "Yeah, I do, but Hokage-sama thought it would be the best way to get Gohan money and a place to stay without attracting undue attention. Though," he added, looking at the raven-haired warrior, "he seems to be doing that just fine by himself."

"Then perhaps a little wager!" Gai boomed, startling a few birds into flight, which attracted Neji's attention. "If my Lee wins, then you will change your wardrobe to that of the Splendid Green Beast and acknowledge me as the better shinobi!"

There was silence for a moment before Kakashi yawned, "Hm? You say something Gai?" He went back to his book. Gai whirled and plopped down, muttering about his rival's 'infuriating demeanor'. All attention once again focused on the battlefield as Lee stirred and stood, walking out from his landing spot with a visible limp and some nasty-looking scratches, but otherwise seemingly good to go.

Gai vaulted to his feet, teeth gleaming as he struck the nice-guy pose. "That's my Lee! Go get 'em!"

Lee heard his sensei's encouragement and prepared to strike out at Gohan once again. "I will make you proud, Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted as he sprinted in before launching himself into the air in an airborne ax-kick, reminiscent of what Gohan had done earlier in the fight. The Z fighter blocked, and was surprised when he felt his feet sink into the soil from the blow's power.

'This guy…He's good!' Gohan thought with a slight stirring of amazement. This kid, probably the same age as the demi-saiyan himself was, was actually pushing him to fight at least a little seriously. Gohan had agreed to the fight out of pure curiosity, thinking that no genin would be able to harm him. It was an arrogant thought, right on par with Vegeta at his worst, but it was true. The battles Gohan had been through here had shown him that he was on par with some of this dimension's strongest.

Or so he'd thought.

Gohan stopped Lee's sandaled foot with both hands before it could drill into his abdomen, the force from the strike actually pushing him back a few inches. The green-clad genin planted a bandaged hand on the ground and brought his other leg scything up and around, the heel of the foot catching Gohan off guard and throwing him away, a line of dirt raising up as the saiyan skidded along the ground.

Lee, contrary to what most would expect of him, didn't give off some joyful exclamation at hitting his opponent. Instead, the bushy-browed shinobi rushed forward, hoping to light into Gohan while he was down.

The Z fighter was able to vault to his feet, just in time to catch a flash of green and a cocked back fist. Gohan reacted on instinct, and that reflex almost cost Lee his life.

The warrior's hand flashed out, smacking away the incoming blow. Lee lurched and managed to stop himself, looking up right as Gohan's hand reversed direction and stopped right in front of his face, a ball of blazing yellow something shining in his palm. For Lee, time stood still as he realized that he was staring his demise in the face, his blood running cold when he saw the look in Gohan's onyx eyes. There was no compassion, no light. Hell, it didn't even look like Gohan was aware of what he was doing, it was happening so fast.

Then the energy was gone, along with the hand holding it.

Gohan hissed with discomfort as his arm was wrenched back and locked high on his back. The fighter struggled for a moment before recognizing the ki that was behind him.

"Easy Gohan," Kakashi said bracingly as he struggled to hold onto the thrashing kid. The struggles ceased and the masked jounin saw and felt the tension leak out of the black-haired boy as his brain caught up with what his body was doing.

"Kakashi? What're you…?" But the jounin didn't hear him, instead looking at the green-clad shinobi, who was sitting on the ground and shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, watching Gohan with eyes that held fear and questions in them. Kakashi shook him, but the genin didn't move, so the lanky shinobi stood and came back over to the caped fighter.

"I think that's enough for today." He clapped Gohan on his shoulder and began heading away. The newest member of Team Seven watched for a moment before turning to Lee, who was by now surrounded by his teammates, all of them watching him with suspicion.

The warrior bowed. "Sorry, Lee-san. It was a reflex from my training." The excuse sounded hollow, even to him, but Gohan knew that it was true. Not wanting to be stuck there any longer than he had to in that awkward situation, he turned and hurried off to catch up with Team Seven's jounin.

"Gohan."

The teen in question looked up at his team's captain, the jounin's face cast in shadow by the thick trees on either side of the lane that they were walking down to get out of the practice area. "Huh?"

"What happened back there."

Gohan's face became downcast. "It was a reflex. I saw green and a fist." His hand clenched. It was what he'd seen when he'd fought with Cell during the Games. "It was so fast, I just reacted like I would've in a real battle." He looked up, black eyes pleading. "I didn't mean to almost kill Lee-san! Honest!"

Kakashi regarded him somberly, but then his eye curved. "No big deal. You reacted on instinct like a good warrior should. This Piccolo person who trained you did a good job." His gloved hand clapped the teen on the shoulder. "Just try not to let it happen again."

"You're not mad?"

"No. It was a normal human reaction. You should see some of the sparring matches the ANBU have sometimes. Now that's a spar to see." The jounin began walking away, but Gohan's voice stopped him.

"Hey! Kakashi!"

The masked man turned back. "What?"

"Why were you there anyway? It couldn't have been just to watch me was it?"

Hatake just eye-smiled mysteriously. "I have my reasons." He resumed walking, tossing a casual wave over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow Gohan. Team Seven's going to be at the memorial stone training ground at ten a.m."

"Right! I'll be there!" Kakashi nodded then disappeared in a burst of shinobi smoke.

Gohan spent the rest of the day crisscrossing Konoha, just looking around and browsing through the various shops and stores that lined the roads. He quickly learned that there was a form of symmetry to the sprawling village. At the center of the village, abutting right against the Hokage Monument was the Hokage's Tower. Surrounding that were the official functions of the city's government, like taxes, license bureau for the various shinobi licenses, the ANBU base, and other things. Up against the financial and official district was the business district. This was where the majority of the shops and stores were located.

Farther out from that were the residential areas, which extended from the business district all the way to the walls. At the walls were three gates, each one creating a gap in the protective structure that, along with the cliff the Monument sat on, formed a half-moon around the village and its inhabitants. A road led from each gate to the Tower, allowing shinobi and visitors in a hurry to get to the center of government quickly. The districts themselves weren't cut and dry, with each one blending into the next, but you would know when you were in one by what the majority was. Gohan found the mix of chaos and order to be refreshing, along with the open skies and wide training grounds, which were located both inside the walls, in cases like the meadow field and memorial stone, to huge grounds like the Forest of Death which were located a few miles beyond the walls.

Now it was dusk and the son of Goku was looking for a place to stay. Before parting ways, Gohan had been given his share of the pay that he'd earned by helping out with Zabuza. Most of that money was gone on dinner and now the teen was hunting for an apartment. He knew that he would be able to stay at no charge to him, but first he had to find a place to stay at!

Gohan was wandering through one of the more rundown spots in the Residential District, still looking for a place to call his own. A lighted window caught his eye and before the saiyan warrior could float up to check it out, Naruto emerged from the sliding glass door and set out a decrepit-looking plant. Gohan figured he could impose on the blond for at least one night, so he soon found the door that led to the apartment and knocked.

The door slid open and Gohan found himself staring a surprised Naruto in the face. "Eh? Gohan? What're you doing here?"

The black-haired boy scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry Naruto, but I need a place to stay for the night, and I can't find anything. I saw you put your plant out and I figured…" He trailed off, not wanting to sound rude.

Naruto's face lit up. "Sure you can stay here! I don't mind having a roommate!" He looked over his shoulder. "But the place isn't that great."

"I don't mind, it'll be fun!" And Gohan really didn't care either. Night had long since fallen and the demi-saiyan, though he was capable of it, really didn't want to rough it in a city.

Naruto grinned and stepped aside, allowing his teammate inside. "Sorry, but I don't have any spare blankets or anything." He gestured around the simple room. "I live alone, and money's always been tight so…" Now it was the blond who trailed off looking sheepish.

The saiyan grinned, the simplicity of the kitchen/dining room/bedroom reminding him of his own home on Mt. Paozu. "It's great!"

The other genin grinned. "Really? Well, you can stay for as long as you want. But," he added, "get your own ramen!" Gohan grinned as he and his new roommate got ready for bed. Soon Naruto's loud snores filled the tiny apartment and Gohan, using his cape as a makeshift blanket and pillow, soon followed.

Both boys awoke a little past nine the next morning and went about their daily rituals for the day before Naruto made some instant ramen for himself and Gohan decided, after seeing Naruto's bare cupboards, to go into town to eat.

The Z fighter emerged from an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet a while later, followed by a stuttering owner who switched the sign from 'open' to 'closed'. He was about to head for the training grounds when a familiar voice cut him off.

"Hi Gohan-kun!"

Gohan turned to face who the speaker was. "Huh? Oh! Hi Sakura!" The kunoichi on the team was dressed as she'd been during the mission and she seemed to be out on a morning stroll. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just going to walk for a bit before heading to meet Kakashi-sensei. Wanna join me?"

"But isn't it almost time now?"

The pink-haired girl snorted. "Right. The day Kakashi-sensei's on time is the day Hell freezes over. He's always late, and keeps making up dumb excuses why he couldn't make it."

Gohan shrugged. "I'm still going to go now. I could use a bit of a workout."

Sakura put her hands on her hips with a puzzled look. "Huh? You're going to train now?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Well, Kakashi-sensei usually trains us and it isn't easy." The girl shuddered. "I couldn't work out beforehand." She passed him and headed down the street. "Well, it's not my business. See you later Gohan-kun."

"Bye Sakura!" Gohan waved after her then jogged off for the training field, using the light run as a warm up for the training he was going to do when he got there. He arrived at the field and began to limber up with some basic stretches.

Before too long, the other members of the team arrived and found Gohan with his face in the dirt, completely oblivious to them as he did push-ups at a speed that even the most fit of shinobi would have a hard time keeping pace with. Kakashi had yet to arrive, so the four settled in to wait, Gohan dangling upside down on a tree branch and doing sit-ups.

"You're a beast Gohan," Naruto remarked as the boy's murmured counting passed the two hundred and fifty mark. "And you haven't taken a break since we got here."

Gohan grunted in response, focusing all his energy on pulling his elbows to his knees, fighting the pull of gravity and the added weight of the snow-white cape on his shoulders. Half and hour later, Kakashi finally arrived.

After Naruto and Sakura had thoroughly abused his ears, the jounin called them over and handed the four sheets of paper.

"Recommendation for Entry into the Chuunin Exams?" Naruto read off the fancy calligraphy at the head of an official-looking memo. "What is this Kakashi-sensei?"

"Just what it looks like, Naruto. I've entered the four of you into the Chuunin Exams for a shot at passing and moving higher up in the ranks." Naruto, and Sasuke exchanged eager looks while Sakura looked apprehensive and Gohan looked puzzled. The jounin continued. "You have until the end of the week to decide. If you want to take the exams, bring those letters to the Academy and take them up to room 301." The elder shinobi looked at his charges. "I'm giving you the week off in order for you four to train on your own or just take it easy until the exams. The decision to enter is yours and yours alone. If you don't want to enter, then don't." With that Kakashi made a seal and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Well I'm going to enter!" Naruto shouted the moment Kakashi left. "How about you Sasuke-bastard, Gohan?"

The Uchiha smirked. "Yeah, sounds like this'll be fun."

Gohan looked at his teammates with a puzzled look. "Hey what are the Chuunin Exams?"

Sasuke snorted. "Well, seeing as you're from a different dimension, I guess I'll have to explain." The aura of a cocky prodigy fell away and the Uchiha looked Gohan dead in the eye. "It's an exam that consists of three portions. No one really knows what the sections are because it's held in a different village every six months. The Third Exam, though, is a tournament that everyone and anyone can come and watch. My dad took me once or twice, but I don't really remember it."

Gohan grinned. A Tournament? Well, that sounded a lot like the Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament from back home. It would probably be fun, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do. He regarded the parchment in his hands. "You're right, Sasuke. It does sound like fun." He grinned excitedly. "I'm in!" Naruto whooped in delight and Sasuke smirked, then the three began discussing what the exams would be like.

No one noticed Sakura slip away.

Sakura found herself far away from her comrades, clutching her recommendation like it was a bomb about to explode. What was Kakashi-sensei thinking, she wondered. They were just a new team of genin, they hadn't even been on active duty for three months yet and already their sensei expected them to pass the exams? What was going on in that silver head of his? Her worrying took her all the way to another training ground that was on the other side of the village without her even noticing, as lost in her thoughts as she was.

She really started thinking at that point and realized that, if she didn't take the exams, Sasuke-kun wouldn't be impressed and Gohan-kun and Naruto would think she was a coward. Sakura knew she wasn't a coward, but in her distress she twisted her logic and made it seem like she was. The kunoichi plopped down under the lone tree in the middle of a field that was flat except for a middle sized rock ledge that ran along the west side. She heaved an impressive sigh and began debating with herself.

Back at the training area, Sasuke and Naruto had gone off, the Uchiha presumably to find his own training field and Naruto had said it was impossible to spar on an empty stomach. That left Gohan with no one to fight against, so he slid into a stance and began shadow boxing like he'd done back in Wave Country. Before too long, it was getting dark, and Gohan came out of the trance he tended to sink into when he was training, starting when he saw that the sun was well on its way down and a few stars were already out. He was just leaving when a voice cut him off.

"Well well. Another little Konoha-nin who's getting ready for the exams."

Gohan stopped and looked around, obsidian eyes growing serious as he flung his senses out wide, searching for the ki signature the voice belonged to. He appeared to be alone, but Gohan knew better.

"Alright," he commanded. "Come out. I know you're there!"

The river across from him exploded as something shot from its depths and sped towards the demi-saiyan. Gohan caught the flash of a kunai and he jumped, soaring a fair distance above the onrushing object's attack and touched down in the same spot he'd started from, spinning and dropping into a stance.

His assailant turned as well and Gohan blinked when he saw the foreign engraving on the hirai-ate. It was a simple four lines, but for some reason it reminded the unofficial genin of rain. "Who're you and why are you attacking me!"

The man was much taller than Gohan was, but then, the saiyan hybrid was kind of short for his age. He seemed to be made up of nothing but cloaks and bits of cloth that were sewn haphazardly together, and his face was obscured by the hirai-ate and a scrap of cloth that acted much like Kakashi's mask did. The stranger's head was topped off by a wide and flat straw hat that looked as if it extended well beyond the nin's shoulders.

The shinobi laughed at the boy's demand. "Who am I? Well, I'm just a genin like you," he said, his voice sounding like wet rags being dragged over gravel, with a bit of a smoker's cough thrown in as an undertone. "You don't need to know my name," A kunai appeared from nowhere and the man sped at Gohan again, "because you're already dead!"

The Rain-nin lunged.

His attack passed through thin air.

"What!?" The boy had been there one moment then the next, he wasn't. Was it some kind of jutsu or was the brat just amazingly fast?

"I haven't done anything to deserve you trying to kill me!" The shinobi whirled and there was his target, crouching on rail of the ornamental bridge that spanned the small river that marked the boundary of the training grounds.

Gohan's opponent snickered as he pulled out some shuriken. "I never said you did," The man said with a dark chuckle. "I'm just thinning out the competition!" The shuriken flashed from his hands, their blades making an ominous noise as they slashed through the air.

The boy's eyes darkened. "Well if that's the way it's going to be," he called with a warning note in his voice, "then I guess I have no choice but to fight!" He fazed out right as the throwing stars reached his position.

The rain shinobi looked around, but couldn't find the brat anywhere. Just how fast was that guy!?

"Up here!"

The shinobi looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Gohan dropping toward him with a yell, moving faster than any freefall should've allowed. It was as if the kid was controlling he descent willingly.

The shinobi jumped back, timing his evasion perfectly, forcing the boy's attack to smite the ground instead of his skull. What he hadn't counted on was the sheer force Gohan was capable of. The boy's fist collided with unforgiving rock, but instead of breaking the boy's fist, the ground just shattered, throwing slabs of rock skyward, making a sound like an explosion, and putting a massive crater in the earth. The Rain-nin's eyes went wide as he felt his feet drop into space, but he caught himself of a chunk of airborne debris and rebounded, bouncing from fragment to fragment until he cleared the lip of the depression.

"Not bad, for a snot-nosed kid," the shinobi taunted as Gohan glared at him from the bottom of the crater and through a rain of falling rock, ranging in size from sand to small boulders.

"I'm going to give you one last chance!" The caped warrior called. "Leave me alone, or next time I'll go all out!"

The shinobi laughed outright. "Yeah right! Like I'll believe that!"

Gohan sighed. "Well, I did warn you." He sank into a standing crouch and cupped his hands at his side. "Kaaameeehaaameee…" The darkness was lit up as a blue-white ball of ki formed in between the Z fighter's palms, glowing brighter with each passing second. "HAAAA!" The boy thrust his hands forward and the Kamehameha blasted off, throwing dust and gravel everywhere as it raced for the shinobi at the lip of the crater, who was suddenly rigid with fright.

He was lost from view as the blast of power passed over him, then continued out into the dark sky, it's progress never even slowed by the presence of the Rain-nin. Unlike in Wave Country, there was no spectacular thermonuclear-like detonation. The beam of ki just lost its brightness and width, becoming nothing but a blue line in the sky before fading from existence.

Gohan stood panting, lowering steaming hands, before looking up at the dark, diamond-studded sky, knowing that somehow the shinobi had escaped, because he never felt the man's ki snuff out. All that proved that Gohan had managed to attack him was the U shape that had been sliced out of the crater's lip, as if with a scalpel. The Z fighter took one last look around to make sure he was alone before lifting into the air and blasting off towards Naruto's in a flash of blue flame-like ki.

In Konoha's business district, on top of a pagoda-like building, Hatake Kakashi stood facing the training area where the whole battle had taken place, glancing up from Icha Icha Paradise only when the Kamehameha arced into the sky, lit up the village for a brief moment, then vanished. He chuckled, but it wasn't obvious if it at the amorous antics of the character in his book or at Gohan's apparent reluctance to hold back in battle.

"So," the jounin said to thin air. "How did it go?"

The shadows shifted and the Rain-nin that Gohan had attacked appeared from out of nowhere. "That kid is something else." There was a burst of smoke and Iruka appeared, massaging his neck after being under a Henge for so long. The schoolteacher stepped up beside his superior. "Gohan-kun sure does know how to make an impression on someone."

Kakashi laughed as he flipped the page. "You really should take the Jounin Exams, Iruka," He said, seemingly out of the blue. A glance showed him the chuunin's puzzled expression.

"Why?"

"Because. The last shinobi that went toe-to-toe with Son Gohan was out of action for a week with broken ribs, more bruises than I care to count, and was on the receiving end of that Kamehameha of his." Hatake looked at his companion. "You managed to get away with hardly a scratch."

Silence reigned for a moment before Iruka answered. "Yeah, maybe, but if you hadn't warned me what the set-up for the attack looked like, I would've been toast." Kakashi shrugged, noncommittally.

Once again there was silence between the two men before the jounin spoke again. "So," he said, "does this little test put your mind at ease?" He was referring to when the various jounin instructors had referred their charges for the Exams. When Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi had all put their teams up as examinees, Iruka had been the most outspoken against it, even breaching protocol by speaking out of turn in order to voice his objections.

Kakashi, on his part, knew that Gohan, Sasuke and Naruto would jump at the opportunity to strut their stuff, but he wasn't so sure about Sakura. So, to ensure that both his own doubts, and those of Iruka would be assuaged, he'd enlisted the scarred chuunin's help. Iruka, under the guise of a hostile foreign shinobi, would attack each member of Team Seven, both to gauge their abilities for himself, and to convince them that they could make it in the exams.

The result? Sakura was just as hell-bent on winning the exams as her teammates, Sasuke and Naruto were both fired up even more than they had been before, and Gohan, well, Gohan hadn't disappointed, delivering more than enough evidence that he wasn't about to be stopped either.

Iruka nodded at Kakashi's question. "Yeah, this does help my state of mind, a little. I can see that they're not the kids I used to know, especially Naruto." The teacher grinned as he remembered how Naruto had taken one look at him after his 'threat', made about a hundred Kage Bunshins and proceeded to mob the man. "But Gohan-kun…Man, I didn't think Gohan-kun was capable of that kind of sheer power!"

The silver-haired jounin next to him nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I thought Gohan was just a kid with unusually high stamina. When we first met, he was beat up pretty badly, but he woke up just a few hours after we got him treated. Then came the whole bit with Zabuza. When I got caught in the Suirou jutsu, I thought the mission was done. I was wrong."

Iruka was all ears listening to the jounin. Apparently, Gohan hadn't even shown the chuunin half of what he could do. Kakashi continued, "Gohan didn't show any sign of fear about facing The Momochi Zabuza. He just attacked. Beat the hell out of that bastard too."

"So, do you think they'll pass?"

Kakashi shrugged carelessly. "Hard to say, but my pride demands that I answer yes." His dark mask shifted a little, the only sign of his smile. "If you're worried about Naruto, though, don't. He's more like his father than even he realizes."

Iruka grinned. "He is a lot like him isn't he?"

The jounin actually laughed outright. "You have no idea, Iruka. Your father and Arashi-sensei were neighbors, so you actually know who Naruto's father is."

The teacher smiled wistfully. "Yeah, Dad and Yondaime-sama were pretty good friends. I remember being at his and Kushina-san's wedding."

Kakashi laughed again. "Yeah, never thought I'd get to see my sensei in a suit. That guy hated to dress up."

"I wonder how he was convinced to wear a suit anyway?" Both men knew of the Yondaime's hatred for fancy clothes. The blond Hokage had repeatedly said that they restricting and itchy, even going out of his way to avoid wearing the Hokage's ceremonial robes when he didn't have to.

"Kushina." Iruka made a noise of understanding at Kakashi's answer. "That woman could convince Arashi-sensei to do anything." The jounin rubbed his head. "I think her threat was to either wear to tux or she'd do horrible things to him."

Iruka laughed now. "And with Kushina-san that always meant…" He trailed off as he remembered the chaos and mayhem Naruto's mother had sown when she was a teenager. "Well, that sort of thing must be hereditary. After all, Naruto is known as the village's biggest prankster." Both men chuckled before falling silent. At last Iruka broke it. "Well, I've got to get going. I have a lesson plan to get together." Kakashi nodded and the chuunin disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Kakashi waited a minute then he too poofed away.

The day of the Exams dawned windy and sunny. The four members of Team Seven were walking down one of the main streets on their way to the Academy. Naruto and Gohan were talking about what they had done to get ready for the examinations. Sasuke was participating as well, though his was more of poking fun at Naruto and riling the blond up. Sakura wasn't doing much of anything, just walking behind the three boys and keeping her eyes down and her mouth shut. She felt like she'd hurl if she opened her mouth or met anyone's eyes.

All too soon (for Sakura anyway), the four arrived at the Academy. Naruto and Sasuke led the way, because Gohan had no idea where to go. They went up the stairs, and entered into a hall that was packed with people. They were all clustered around a room with the sign 301 above the door, but two chuunin were barring the way. Gohan thought something didn't feel right.

"Hey," he murmured to his friends. "Didn't we only go up one floor?"

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed quietly. "This is the second floor, not the third." The Uchiha prodigy smirked. "These guys are using a genjutsu."

The other black-haired boy agreed. In the day or two prior to the Exams, he'd been all but living in the library near the Hokage's Tower, literally up to his ears in scrolls and books as he feverishly studied various tactics, jutsu, and other aspects of the shinobi way of life and how the ninja did battle. Genjutsu had been only one of the facets of combat he'd read about. The Z fighter thought it was a real shame that he couldn't use chakra. It would've been so easy to trick Cell into thinking that there'd been so many copies of Gohan, or that the boy himself had been critically wounded. Killing the android would've been so much easier that way.

After showing the chuunin that their tricks weren't working, and getting to meet Team Gai, Team Seven reached hallway that led to a set of double doors. Kakashi was there before them (for once), and was leaning against a window, customary smutty book in hand as his team made their way over. He put the orange thing away and stood up, giving his team an eye-smile.

"Well, looks like all four of you have decided to take the exams," he said without preamble, then explained, much to the Team's chagrin, that if all four of them hadn't shown up together, they would've all been disqualified on the spot.

"But," Kakashi said happily, "You're all here, so feel free to go on through!" He gestured to the door and the members of Team Seven grinned, or made a valiant effort to, and pushed the doors open wide, stepping through to confront whatever lay on the other side of the threshold.

Well that's that, and this is the first chapter of Summer Vacation!! HELL YEAH!! This means that, until I get home and actually get to summer classes, I should have a lot of free time to spend on writing fanfictions. Don't get too excited and start expecting me to update daily, 'cause it ain't gonna happen. I'm staying at my school for two extra months to finish up something that pertains to my degree then I go home for summer classes. But! Despair not, for I shall have copius free time when not "Slipping the Surly Bonds of Earth to Dance on Laughter Silvered Wings." Kudos to whomever can figure where that passage is from.

If you're still in High School, despair only slightly! For you are in the home stretch and shall be free of the accursed learning in due course! Now! Enough of talking in Ye Olden Style! See you guys next time, and no Glossary today 'cause no jutsu needing explaining were used, aside from a mention of Suirou no Jutsu.