The Chunin Exams (part 1)

I.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O. O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.I

Ryoko and her team waited for her second sensei. It had been a good month since they returned. Inari was excelling in the Academy, good friends with Naruto's minnis, Konohamaru and the little girl and boy who followed him, Tsunami was living with Kisame, who had been appointed as the assistant sensei for their team. Ryoko noticed though, that the Joinins had been giving her odd looks. It took her only a few days to realize it was because Kakashi had told them about her episode with Jashin. They were waiting to see if she would be the best ninja, or defect.

"How are you doing kitten?" Kisame walked up to her and she forced a smiled, and growled out sarcastically,

"Just dandy! You're the only jounen that trusts me to know I won't defect just because I'm strong. That was Orochimaru. Not me. The Dragon is not a Snake." She hissed the last part.

"Hey, no one trusts me. Look what happened to Zabuza. All the Seven Swordsmen went wrong." Kisame reassured her, "But I'm ok aren't I? I will show Konoha that I'm a good guy."

What Ryoko was about to reply was cut off by a poof of smoke, exposing Kakashi. He eye smiled, 'Yo, if you want to be in the chunin exams you need to sign up today. They begin tomorrow." He handed out papers and then vanished. Ryoko smirked,

"Icha Icha is out with a new book I bet."

"Ha! Yeah Ryoko-hime! I bet we can do it. I know you can. And Teme probably can now." Naruto yelled.

"Shut it Dobe. Of course Meisu and I can. Don't know about you though. You're still a dunce." Sasuke snapped.

"Awe thank you teme0chan." Ryoko had taken to calling him Chan, on the hunch that he was homosexual. The three bickering students kept going, resulting in Ryoko chasing Naruto down the always with her scythe. She rounded a corner to find a large Suna boy clad in black with purple face paint on his face with his foot of the small and struggling Naruto. She immediately went into battle mode, holding Inuhane out in front of her, snarling out,

"Let him go kitty-boy."

"Why don't you make me pip-squeak." He laughed. A blonde girl stood behind him,

"Kankuro you're going to get us in trouble. You know he will be here soon."

Ryoko briefly wondered who 'he' was, when she felt her brand get warm and looked up to see a familiar face wreathed in blood colored hair approaching. Kankuro backed off, and Ryoko stood for a moment, frozen. Is he here? For real? In my home? It only took a moment for her to drop her scythe and run at Gaara, and throw herself into his arms; he genuinely smiled and purred,

"Hello Pet. I'm glad you're ok, last I saw you, and you were in pretty bad sorts."

"Whoa, whoa. What in bloody hell is going on?" Naruto cried.

"Kitu-kun, this is Sabaku no Gaara. I've known him since I was nine. Remember I told you my goal was to become an Exchange Nin with Suna? Well it's because of Gaara." Naruto looked skeptical at Ryoko's statement. Gaara snaked his arms around Ryoko's waist and mumbled in her ear,

"You won't have to be exchanged, since you belong to me, My Pet." She blushed slightly and unwound herself,

"Have you signed up for the chunin exams yet?" she asked Gaara.

"We're on our way now." The red-head replied. She grinned and her eyes met Sasuke's, and started at the hatred he saw there. She frowned at him, a silent warning.

"Alright, come on Teme, Kitu-kun, we can go with." She turned and picked up her scythe, and fastened it in the clip that was attached to her back.

"Hime, your eyes are different?" Gaara's statement ended in a question. Ryoko grinned,

"Jashin-sama has granted me Sight, and immortality." She told him.

"What is Sight?" Gaara asked.

"I can see aura's, who is evil and who is not. I am only allowed to sacrifice Tainted souls." Gaara's eyes darkened,

:"Is mine?"

"No. not at all Gaa-kun." She smiled, "Yours is the richest gold I've seen in ages."

"Hey! Ryoko-hime! What color is mine?" Naruto yelped.

Ryoko's face darkened, "It is the darkest pitch black, darker that night." Naruto's face fell at her words, causing her to laugh, "Even if you were evil, it would be a vomit nasty green color. Yours is the yellow of the sun. Even Teme's isn't tainted." She purred to her team mates.

"Hey, Ryoko-Chan, sorry bout squishing Fox-boy." Kankuro smiled apologetically. "We didn't realize…" he trailed off, and the blonde frowned and smacked him,

"Just because she's Gaara's Life-mate doesn't mean you need to suck up to her. Idiot."

"owwieee. Tema!" he whined.

"Ha-ha…" Ryoko grinned as the siblings began to squabble.

(Slight time skip)

Gaara was glad he was seated with Ryoko. He was sure she had an awesome way to copy the answers that the other students had. Either that or she was just smart. He looked at the paper, realizing that the questions were very difficult; he created his Third eye, and then sent the answers he found to Kankuro and Temari.

Ryoko grinned and made a hand sign, a small creature, a mixture of a wolf and a dragon materialized made out of shadows. She whispered a command and it ran to an intelligent looking kid and bit it. The child yelped as the dragon-dog ran back and melded into Ryoko. The subject of her attack was disqualified. She grinned as the knowledge she gained from the child flooded through her, and she sent shadows to Naruto and Sasuke, giving them the answers as well. She smirked seeing Gaara had gotten his answers as well. The test was called to an end, Ibiki decided to intimidate the classroom.

"Now for the tenth question. You can choose to answer this, and if you miss it, you can never be a chunin. If you pass you can try again next exam." Gasps filled the room, and one kid called out,

"But there are people who' taken this before!"

"Well I wasn't boss then! So shut up kid. I make the rules here." Ibiki snarled. His gaze snapped up at Ryoko's low maniacal laugh,

"Ha… ha... you're funny Ibiki. You think you can intimidate me? Jashin's Dragon? You amuse me. Just because your head of T&I doesn't mean your intelligent. just scary. See what you can do." She sneered, her blood colored eyes glowing with her challenge. Ibiki frowned see in all the gleams in the gennin's eyes. Only a few had failed…

"Alright then Princess Mitsuri. You have helped all these kids pass. Hope you're happy with the competition." Ibiki growled.

"Oh yeah. Jashin will feed well on this Exam." She laughed manically, causing some kids to with she had failed. A crash sounded, and a shape stood in the center of the group. They realized it was a busty woman wearing a net body suit and a trench coat with violet hair.

"Ibiki! How could you. Are you getting soft?" She scolded.

"You have your little Princess to blame for that, Anko." Ibiki growled, 'She's more blood thirsty than you. Wanted plenty to pass so she could play." Even more kids shivered at his words. A whole group of gennin got up screaming and left.

"Well well little Ryoko-ryu! That's good for you. But just from me alone, this class will be cut in over half!"