Sasuke and Naruto were now chūnin. Hatake Kakashi stood in the stands of the stadium and watched his former students win their battles and become full-fledged shinobi. Although he thought that they were easily S-ranked shinobi, Kakashi was proud of their success, as he was proud with his students, watching Naruto embrace the cheers with grace and seeing Sasuke spare his opponent from the worst of his attacks. They would quickly rise to the rank of jōnin. Sakura and Hinata were with Kakashi in the stands, encouraging their male classmates on. Kakashi thought that Hinata finally felt happy again. Her father's death and taking leadership over her clan had rendered exhausted and troubled. Although she visited Kiba's and Shino's graves every day, the kunoichi didn't seem at peace. When Naruto became her boyfriend, Hinata learned to smile and laugh again. Kakashi thought with a smile that Hinata was finally at peace with herself. Beside her, Sakura looked equally happy. Although those who didn't know her well would think that she was smiling at both of her teammates, Kakashi knew that her smile was solely for Sasuke. He remembered of how Sakura healed Sasuke even though her chakra was almost gone after healing Naruto. She had watched over him every single night when he was in the coma, and talked to him even while he was unconscious. Kakashi too had watched over Sasuke during that long week. He had come to realize that Sasuke was more like him than anyone would ever realize; both of them had lost their family and friends at a young age, and had remained distant from love and comfort before they emerged stronger and wiser. It was now, Kakashi realized as he watched Sasuke silently walk out of the stadium, that he was like a son to him, a son that Kakashi would never have.

Sasuke had been carefully watched in the Chūnin Exams. Although he had been pardoned of his crimes and remained a shinobi, it seemed as if the entire shinobi world hadn't forgotten his deeds. The day Sasuke was pardoned, Tsunade-sama also told Konohagakure the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre and Sasuke's actions for defecting Konohagakure and allying himself with the Akatsuki. Sasuke had not wanted to hear it again, Sakura explained. He wanted to visit his teammates instead. Sasuke had not wanted his teammates' bodies buried, and instead had burned them until they were mere ashes. He had spread those ashes into the wind in the Konohagakure cemetery and they became part of the memories of the sacrifices made during the war. Although Sasuke did not share Sakura's feelings, they were becoming close friends, and odd enough he shared a special relationship with Sai, his former replacement. Kakashi had made a visit to the cemetery as well, but had not visited Obito as he usually did. He had visited Yamato, who had been found dead in the Mountains' Graveyard. His name and legacy were already being told to the next generation of shinobi. Yamato, Gai, and many others were already heroes in their eyes.

Sasuke and Naruto finished both the first and second stage of the exam in record time. Kakashi had also noticed that Sasuke had become a different shinobi than when he first took the Chūnin Exams. There seemed to be a calm aura around him, as if his hatred had disappeared. His eyes were not the same either. Since his discharge from the make-shift hospital, Sasuke had discarded the purple rope belt tied around his waist; his katana was now held in a belt sash around his waist. The Uchiha crest that he wore proudly on his back was the same size. The most notable trait Kakashi had noticed was that Sasuke had started wearing a short blue-clothed Konohagakure forehead protector, eerily similar to the one who wore when Kakashi first met him, on his forehead when he started training for the Chūnin Exams. Kakashi had asked him about it one time, and Sasuke had remained silent at first. "When I met Itachi again during the war, he told me that he would always be a Konohagakure shinobi. I thought that I would destroy the very village he protected, but that would be destroying everything he believed in. Without realizing it, I also became a protector of Konohagakure when I joined the battle against my father. And so by wearing this headband, I will protect everything that Itachi died for. I am wearing this headband for Itachi, and no one else."

Wounds were healing, Kakashi noted as he left the stadium. Neji Hyūga had finally accepted Tenten's death when he found an orphan in Amegakure. He had brought her here to Konohagakure to live, and with the permission of Tsunade-sama, the child known as Shinta would be able to enroll in the Ninja Academy in the following years. Neji and the girl were already strongly attached, and Naruto had a strange but passionate interest in the red-haired child. Kakashi had also noticed how the blond shinobi had cheered for an unknown Kirigakure kunoichi before his own match. He heard that her name was Tsuchigumo Hotaru, who had traveled from her small village to Kirigakure to become a kunoichi. The golden-haired genin had a special connection to her master who was rumored to be the Rokubi's jinchūriki Utakata. Kakashi had noticed with interested of how the kunoichi used a bubble blower as her offense and defense weapon. She could also use Water Release justu. Although she lost to Matsuri of Sunagakure, Kakashi saw the Kirigakure kunoichi smile as she was carried away by the medical team. He had heard that Matsuri was promoted to the rank of chūnin as well as Naruto and Sasuke.

Silently, Kakashi walked over to his team later that night in Naruto's apartment. Naruto was his usual hyperactive self, happy to finally have made the rank of chūnin. Sai was vaguely smiling, painting a picture he could finally name. "A picture of all our comrades," he whispered. Kakashi watched as Sakura made the dinner, her pink hair flowing as she moved quickly from making one dish to another. Sasuke was observing the situation around him, his left hand relaxed on his side as he bit into a tomato. Kakashi's student – his family – looked as content as they could be, and walked over to them with a light heart and a smile. They would live, they would hurt, they would love, and they would die, but everything was alright at this moment. Where tree leaves dance…one shall find flames…the fire's shadow will illuminate the village…and once again tree leaves shall bud anew.