Naruto's Journal

June 4th, 1932

It's good to be home, and good to be a national hero. But not much good when you're still ignored or hated in your own damn village.

I helped liberate a god damned country and I still get the cold shoulder wherever I go! It's a kindness to me that Sister Ayame does the shopping-I can't go for fear of cheating. I could call the ANBU on it but I suspect even a hundred calls would do nothing save build their resentment fiercer.

Still, it is the Chuunin Exams this month, and they will have little choice but to cheer me. And even if they do not, there will be thousands of others who will, even if they only know me by name. The roar of a crowd is a nice thing, especially when it's for you. Lee will be pleased, no doubt.

(By the Lord and Savior, Sakura, would you stop pestering me? All right, all right... She sure has gotten a lot touchier since we got back from Wave...)

Rock Lee is also an orphan, and he's lived at the church near as long as I have. He's strong and tall and dark-skinned, and has teeth so white you'd swear you'd be blinded by his smile. He loves the sun as much as I do and the two of us played and sparred and worked on the church most days of our lives. We went into the Ninja academy together, him and me, but we got separated when I got held back a year. That's when he met Maito Gai, who (among other nicknames that ain't too polite) is known as "The Green Monster of Konoha" on account of his love of said color in all his clothing. They have a couple things in common, but the first to emerge was their love o' taijutsu.

Ya see, Lee ain't too good with nin magic. No talent for it, he flubs his spells and can't focus his power to make nobody believe he's anything but who he is. He'd lose his place and his spells would fall apart. Lee ended up deadlast in his class, just like me. Thing is though, he's strong, dead strong. Me too, but he was always stronger and taller than me, and had longer reach. So, where he failed in ninjutsu or genjutsu, Rock used taijutsu. He fights like a damn bear, swinging those fists and feet strong enough to lay you out flat. Jounin Gai made Lee his student, and from then on they were inseparable. Lee even started to cut his hair and dress like Gai, which sent more than a few tongues wagging about "affairs" and "bastard children".

But I know Lee. He'd love to be Gai's son in blood-He's practically his son in every other way that matters. The rest o' his team, I don't see why I have to write about 'em, but I may as well be complete about it otherwise Sakura'll beat on me.

Not that I'm afraid of her or nothing, nothing like that, but what man enjoys bein' beat on by a woman?

Neji Hyuuga is the cousin of Hinata Hyuuga, and two people more and less alike you are not likely to find. By that I mean that their fathers were twins, and concerning their mothers, well, all sorts o' rumors about that. Such as them bein' half brother and sister instead o' cousins. Anyway, in that way they are alike, save for minor differences of appearance: Neji has long brown hair, worn in the old style of a ponytail, with a sharp nose and chin and eyes like a hawk-Glaring out all the time. Like Hinata, he's not too sociable, but unlike her he's not pleasant, not kind, and resents damn near everyone around him. Especially Hinata, even though he's said to be her protector. He does his job though, minding her even when she ain't aware of it.

He was Rookie of the year for the class before ours, like Sasuke, and I don't hesitate to say that he is good, damn good. Especially at sneaking around. Hinata's like a panther when she moves-Silent and unnoticed, but Neji is like a goddamned tiger-Bigger, meaner, faster, stronger and just as silent, if not more. He likes to consider himself well read and speaks even more proper and old-fashioned than Hinata. If he didn't think it beneath him he'd probably be an actor.

Finally, there is Tenten Hua. She's half-Sino, an ethnic group that claims it's responsible for a lot of the old culture in the world and mostly stays cloistered in their own communities. However, she goes to my church and looked up to Sister Ayame when she was growing up. She's cute as a button and recently started to get curves-Not as good as Hinata's but for her height and age they do draw a man's attention. Especially with how flexible she is. I don't mean nothing perverted by that, she's a gymnast. Her mother wanted her to pursue that path. Her father though, had different ideas.

There ain't nothing she can't hit with a rifle, crossbow or a throwing knife, Tenten. She was hunting with her father when she was six, and knew how to handle guns like an expert when Lee and I were just starting at the Academy. She knows the forest and the rivers and the ravines like nobody else, and prowls around almost quieter than Neji. She's their team's sniper. While most ninja don't use guns on account of the noise they make, Tenten's rifle is specially crafted to let her fire a lot more quietly. While the rest of her team attacks the enemy up close, she's in the back, covering them and picking off anybody who tries to grab them.

All together, they're a damn good team, and it ain't no surprise they're gonna be in the Chuunin Exams with us. I look forward to it, actually! All the Colonel's gotta do is nominate us... Which he'd better. I think even Sakura would help me prank him if he didn't...