All I can say right now is wow! Thank you all so much, I'm thrilled about all the reviews! Wooh! I have some PM's I promise to get to soon, please be patient with me. I'm just so thankful for all of you taking the time to read this, it means a lot to me! I'm surprised on how many of you enjoyed that Last chapter, I hope you enjoy this one just as much :) again, forgive me for my misspellings, I'm really not illiterate. Thank you all!

I do not own Naruto and I never will

Chapter 8 * The Chonin exams part 1

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It had been two weeks since Sasuke's first day as a member of team Gai. He had started to feel comfortable with the entire crew. He was now accustomed to Gai's booming voice and over exaggerated passion for youth. He was used to Lee's inflections and sheer determination to be the best he could without ninjutsu. He was now quite accustomed to Tenten's mannerisms. He knew she liked to openly express her annoyance to Lee when he was out of line. She tucked the fringes of hair that fell in her face behind her ears when she was flustered. And she also had the sweetest most wonderful giggle he had ever heard. So many little things she did, spoke volumes to him. Every morning before training, Sasuke would walk to Tentn's house and pick her up. As they walked to the training grounds, they would make small and friendly conversation. Tenten was slowly opening up to him little by little each day, and after training, she would accompany him at his home to help study. Tonight was their last night to study before the exams.

Tenten had been doing much better since the day she first returned to Konoha. She knew most likely, it was due to Sasuke and his companionship, but she was still a bit too stubborn to openly admit it. Despite his past as a criminal, Sasuke really made a great friend and team member. He listened to her when she had something to say, and never had anything negative to say about her opinions. Sasuke had kind and simple words of wisdom to offer her when she felt low. She admired his quiet confidence, and his will to rejoin Konoha, even after all that had happened. Sasuke had finally told her the truth about Itachi, although he knew that it was a very deep and dark secret of Konoha. Tenten deeply sympathized with Sasuke after hearing of his hardships. He expressed to her the pain and guilt that he felt after murdering his beloved brother. Sasuke told her how Itachi had been there to help him defeat Kabuto, and that Itachi was the only reason Sasuke was permitted into the leaf without question. Sasuke had told her that Itachi wanted for him to rebuild the Uchiha clan, and to establish a better reputation for them. Tenten found it rather coincidental that they had both hoped for family. She knew that family was something precious, and her entire life she longed to know who her parents were. Neji was the closest thing to family she had and he was ripped away from her, much like Sasuke's family was ripped away from him. They found understanding and comfort in one another. She felt as though they may be healing each other slowly as they spent more time together.

"Exams are tomorrow, you think you're ready, Sasuke?" Tenten asked walking up behind him as he sat on the porch of their back yard, staring at the sunset. Sasuke turned his head to look behind his shoulder, catching a glimmer of his study partner. A small smirk spread across his face as he patted the place next to him as a gesture for her to accompany him. Tenten had run inside to grab some water, leaving Sasuke outside for a moment. During his time alone, he couldn't keep his mind focused on anything, only her. Once he motioned for he, his gaze returned to the sky.

Tenten obliged and sat comfortably next to Sasuke, close enough for their legs to be touching. She tilted her head to study his expression. It was a face she had never seen him make. He was staring off in the distance, his brows were lowered and his teeth were biting at his bottom lip. The orange and red hues of the sun were glimmering and reflecting Brightly in his ebony hair and eyes. His elbows were propped on his knees and his hands were clasped tightly together as he stared. Tenten ran her fingers trough her long brown hair nervously as they sat in silence. Finally she spoke again.

"Are you alright?" She asked concerned. "If you want, we can wait until next week to do the exams." She assured him quietly.

"No, I'm ready. I just had a lot on my mind tonight, sorry Tenten." He replied, turning his gaze from the sky to her face.

"Oh, that's okay." She replied with a smile as she closed her eyes. "If you need me to go, I can..." Her chocolate eyes snapped open when she felt his warm hand grab a hold of hers. She was unsure of what the gesture meant to him, but it made her heart beat rapidly and she couldn't explain why. Progressively through their time together, Tenten had become more and more attached to Sasuke. Drawn to him, if you will, but she denied it over and over again. She still felt guilty even though Neji had plead with her to move on in a second dream.

"I don't want you to leave." He whispered. Sasuke could hardly stand it. The way the girl made him feel was unbearable. He was unfocused, tired and worried about her. Constantly thinking of her, examining and studying her. Falling for her and he didn't have a choice. She was different than all the other Konoichi he had ever met. She was strong, independent, had a temper, fought hard and she could keep up. She didn't care if Sasuke was quiet and detached, and she didn't care that he was once a traitor. She let him into her crazy life when no one else could break down her barriers. Maybe it was because he and Neji were similar. Maybe it was because it was planned out that way, and maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way too. The girl made him crazy, every time she walked away, walked by, stood near, Sasuke couldn't help but notice every detail about her. He couldn't stop the rapid pounding in his chest, the passion in his soul for the girl. He just didn't want to scare her away. This was atypical of Sasuke. Never in his life had he had a crush, not once. Never had he ever had feelings like this for a team mate. Now all of a sudden, the troubled Konoichi he took home one night was holding a large chunk of his dark little heart and was turning it into mush.

Tenten was fighting with herself. Ever since Sasuke joined the team, they'd been inseparable. She didn't feel the sinking pain of losing Neji when she was with him, and she didn't feel the stress of desperately needing to impress Sasuke like she had with Neji. She was just her. Raw, angry, silly, sad and broken Tenten. The funny thing about the situation was that Tenten was growing even stronger as she trained with Sasuke, even Lee had too. Sasuke brought out the best in the whole team without even trying. Everything about Sasuke was mysterious and appealing. Although he had opened up to her, she still felt a thrill whenever he was around. She enjoyed being with him, studying with him and spending time at his home. Tenten let out a small gasp as she was broken from her thought by Sasuke's gentle touch on her cheek. He slowly brushed a long brown strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, still clinging to her hand in his other hand.

Sasuke decided to be sensitive to the fact that the girl was still grieving, so he changed the subject after her lack of response. "Will you be there tomorrow?" He asked.

"Oh, of course I will! I wouldn't miss it for the world." She smiled warmly and squeezed his hand. at this point the sun was almost completely set and Sasuke knew he needed rest before his big day tomorrow.

"Well." He said, releasing his grip from her hand and standing, let's get you home Tenten." He gave a small smirk followed by a dark laugh. Tenten looked at him perplexed and squeaked when Sasuke swiftly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Sasuke!" Tenten exclaimed as she bobbed up and down with each step he took, her brown hair falling in her face and dangling down the side of his back. "I've got legs you know!" Tenten heaved a sigh. "Come on!"!

"Mm mm." He said with a smirk.

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Sasuke woke up early to ready himself for the upcoming day. He took a long deep breath and crawled out of bed slowly. He was not nervous, afraid or worried. Sasuke was confident in himself, he had taken the exams before, he could do it exams would be a bit different this time. He only had to take the written, and the one on one battle. His only wish was that he didn't fight any younger nin, Naruto, or Tenten. If he fought a younger ninja he ran the risk of seriously harming them on the process, because there was no way he would be holding back. If Naruto were to be his opponent, Sasuke knew that it wouldn't be just a battle. It would be a fight to the death most likely. He had hoped Tsunade would be wise enough to realize. And if he fought Tenten, he knew she would probably be demoted if she lost, and he just wasn't sure he had the heart to do that to her.

Once Sasuke was showered and dressed, he grabbed his sword and strapped it to his back. He then strapped on his shoes and walked out of the complex but stopped at the threshold and rolled his eyes at the sight before him.

"What do you want, Sakura?" He asked, more than annoyed at the pink haired Konoichi.

"Thought I'd wish you luck for today and walk with you to the academy, today's the big day huh? Everyone's talking about it! Hey wait up!" Sakura said, running to catch up with Sasuke, who had obviously not cared about the answer.

"Great, well I can walk on my own. Besides, I'm not headed there right now." He said calmly, still a tinge of annoyance in his voice. What would it take for her to leave him alone?

"Well where ya headed? Exams are this morning aren't they? You don't wanna be late, do you?" She inquired, picking up her pace to keep up with him.

"I'm going to pick up Tenten first, why does it matter to you, Sakura?" He asked, glancing angrily over in her direction. He was beginning to lose his patience.

"Oh.. Well, I just..." She looked down sadly and her feet came to a halt.

"Yeah, okay, see ya." He said, waving over his shoulder at the sullen girl.

I'm gonna go to those exams and kick that stupid bun head's ass! Can't keep her filthy hands off my Sasuke! I'll show her! Sakura plotted as she ran toward the academy.

Sasuke sighed, relieved to see her go. He continued on to Tenten's house, slightly anxious to see her. He dug his hands in his pockets as he walked, trying to keep focus on the exams and not his companion, but it was difficult. Once he arrived at her home, He raised his hand to knock on the door but before he made contact, the door opened. He was greeted by a smiling, brunette Konoichi who just happened to be breathtaking. She was wearing black pants and a black tank top with mesh that stopped at the crease of her breasts, much like Anko, with a white over shirt that looked a lot like his, no, it was his. Her hair was braided in two, one on either side of her head, just like her buns usually were. And to finish it off, her forehead protector right where it usually was. Sasuke was speechless, all he could do was stare at the girl before him. He wondered where on earth she got his shirt, more than that, how she got it. It prided him to know that the Uchiha symbol was resting gracefully on her back.

"You ready for the big day?" She asked, crossing her arms and giving him a knowing smirk. The look on his face was priceless, although subtle, she could tell he was a little flustered by her clothing choice. Sasuke looked good as well, he had a black, open long sleeved shirt, and light gray pants. His hands were covered from the knuckle back to his wrist in fingerless gloves. His hair as raven and edgy as ever, hanging around his face and spiking in the back.

"well, I'm glad you asked permission to steal my shirt." he retorted, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway close to her face.

"Eh, I'm borrowing it. Stealing is a whole different story. Besides, I'm cheering you on. Don't think too much of it, alright?" She giggled. "Let's go! You're gonna be late!"

"Yeah yeah, let's go." He gave a light chuckle of his own and the two headed to the academy.

Once they arrived, Lee and Gai greeted the two at the entrance with smiles and thumbs up. Sasuke gave them his thanks and expressed his gratitude for their support. After the crew had wished him the best of luck, He quickly had to sign in and rush to the room in which the written exams were taking place, due to his lateness.

Once in the room, the younger shinobi stared at him with wide eyes. Sasuke ignored them and took his paper and found a seat in the back alone. Quiet whispers and murmurs filled the room as the fellow students turned to stare at him. To them he was a legend. Sasuke shook his head and thought to himself; this must be how Itachi felt. I suppose if he had walked into my class when I was their age, people would be making quite a fuss. He gave them all a scowl, causing them to gasp and return their focus to the test. Sasuke sighed, relived that they were no longer scrutinizing him. Alright, focus here Sasuke... Hmm these are simple. he began to breeze through the questions, but became destructed by the sound of shuffling and desks screeching against the tile floor. When Sasuke raised his eyes, he noticed not one student remained. It was now him, and the proctor.

Tenten walked around the academy with Lee, talking and spending time together. He was hoping the best for Sasuke, although she knew he would do just fine. During their study sessions, he never had any trouble remembering anything, and always seemed to have something to teach her. She couldn't help but feel a bit nervous for him.

"Hey!" an angry, high pitched voice rang out behind them, breaking Tenten from her thoughts of Sasuke and hopes of his success. Lee and Tenten turned around to face the person behind the agitated voice.

"Sakura Chan, what brings you here?" Lee asked, pleased to see his crush.

"Here to support Sasuke, why else? Why the hell are you wearing his shirt?" Sakura growled.

"Sasuke's our team member, we're supporting him too. I don't think you need to get so worked up, Sakura. It's just a shirt." Tenten rolled her eyes and turned around, not interested in any girl fight that Sakura may have in mind. Today was about Sasuke and nothing else. She began to walk away when the words that came from Sakura's mouth brought her to a sudden stop.

"I don't even know what Neji saw in you! If I had the chance I would've shown him what a real woman was like."

Tenten had had enough. She whipped around and walked up to Sakura, inches from her face, she spoke. "Sakura, Neji would never give you the time of day. In fact, I'm not even sure he knew your name. Here's why I think that: You are way too emotionally attached when it comes to missions, you're loud, obnoxious and selfish. And Sakura, you're weak. And you wonder why Sasuke doesn't pay attention to you either? Now you know." Tenten glared her chocolate eyes, locking Sakura in a death stare.

Sakura gave Tenten a death glare of her own. "You keep your grubby hands off of my Sasuke Kun! We will end up together, Tenten, and when that happens I'll be here to rub it in that ugly face of yours."

"Stop acting like you can just lift your leg and mark Sasuke as your own. He doesn't belong to anyone, and this isn't preschool Sakura. You can't just claim someone. Especially someone who will never love you back!" Tenten yelled, clenching her fists so tightly her knuckles whitened.

Lee stood and watched wide eyed as the girls spat insults back and forth. Before he could interject, Tsunade's loud, booming voice came from down the hall.

"You mean to tell me that all other participants have forfeited? Why?!" She questioned angrily as she turned to a frantic Shizune.

"Well, they were all too frightened to battle Sasuke, so one by one they dropped out. My lady, what do we do?" She asked as they approached the area where Sakura and Tenten stood. Tenten backed away from Sakura and moved out of the way for the two Konoichi to pass by. Tsunade gave Tenten a small smirk as they passed by.

"Well I'be got a few ideas. We'll just have to find a Jonnin willing to fight the Uchiha." she replied. The two headed to a meeting area to discuss what action needed to be taken. Once seated around several Jonnin and elders, Tsunade asked who may be willing to battle it out with Sasuke, seeing as how the second stage of the exams would be over looked. No one seemed to want to volunteer.

"Well who would be strong enough to at least make it difficult for him? We all know how strong he is." she urged, hoping someone would come forward. When no one spoke, agitated, Tsunade pounded her fists on the table, causing everyone in the room to jump. "Kakashi, you up for it?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Sasuke has far surpassed me, Lady Tsunade. Naruto would be an even match." Kakashi suggested.

"No, I don't want to lose my two best shinobi. What about you and someone else? How about you and Sakura?" Tsunade inquired.

"No, Sakura is way too emotionally attached to Sasuke, that won't work. Can you think of anyone else?" Kakashi asked, placing his hands under his chin.

"Tenten." Gai said, standing up next to Kakashi. "They've been training together, and Tenten and Kakashi would be a great match for Sasuke."

"It's settled then, I think that's a great plan." Tsunade smirked and stood. "I'll notify her."

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"I didn't bring any weapons, I'm not prepared Lady Tsunade!" Tenten protested. Tsunade had pulled her to the side and expressed her confidence in Tenten and her abilities. Tenten didn't mind fighting Sasuke at all, but the fact of the matter was, she had nothing to fight with.

"Kakashi is in the store room preparing. There are several weapon selections and scrolls you can create there. You'll have thirty minutes to prepare." Tsunade placed a hand on Tenten's shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

"Can I keep the weapons?" Tenten asked, raising an eyebrow and making a mischievous face.

"Oh alright fine! Just hurry up and do your best!" Tsunade scolded.

Tenten smiled warmly at her mentor and ran to the store room to prepare. Once in the room her jaw dropped and she squealed with excitement. The room was filled with an assortment of weapons, large and small. There were also shelves of explosive tags, enough to make Tenten drool.

"Tenten, I know I'm attractive, but please stop drooling, I'm much too old for you dear." Kakashi said with a chuckle as he crossed his arms, examining the girl.

"Are you serious! Kakashi Sensei! I don't even know what you look like!" She crossed her arms as well and leaned on one hip. "I'm talking about all of these weapons! Look at this Place!" She said, as a wide smile spread across her face. Suddenly, Tenten gasped and felt as though she couldn't move, her eyes shifted to Kakashi, who was not Kakashi at all. The man who stood before her was none other than Itachi Uchiha. Her heart pounded so fast in her chest she felt as though it was about to burst. He approached her slowly and reached around her waist, grabbing hold of the doorknob and closing the door behind her.

"Tenten." He spoke darkly.

"W-what are you doing here? I thought you were dead." She asked, her voice shaky and cracking a bit. She looked away from his deep gaze, terrified of what his intentions may be. Just being in his presence filled her with fear.

"That shirt.." He started.

"Oh.. Oh no, I'm sorry I didn't mean to dishonor your clan!" She shouted, as she fumbled about trying to rip the shirt off her terrified body.

Itachi put both hands firmly on her shoulder and stopped her. "I like it on you. It looks good." He smirked and turned her chin to face him. Now his eyes were locked with hers. "Tenten, you've changed Sasuke. Please don't hurt him."

"But we're fighting in the exams against each other..."

Itachi chuckled, closed his eyes and smiled. "No, kick his ass. I meant to say, don't break his heart, Tenten." He opened his eyes and examined her face. She seemed slightly enlightened, but also a bit perplexed. She wondered why he was telling her this. "Neji also gave me this," he said, handing her a small, folded paper note. "Do your best, chibi chan." He said, placing his index and middle fingers to her forehead Before disappearing.

Tenten blinked rapidly several times, trying to wrap her head around the event that jut took place. Did he call me chibi chan? Tenten shook her head and looked down at her open palm that held the note. Quickly, she opened it up and read.

Tenten, I'm so thrilled you've grown closer with Uchiha, Sasuke. Please know more than anything, I wish for you to be happy. You have done so well lately. You're a Jonnin! I wish I were there to congratulate you in person, but this note will have to suffice. You've grown so strong, an it pleases me to see. Look out for Hinata for me. Continue to grow stronger, and move on. You are as beautiful as ever, my heaven.

With love, Neji

Tenten smiled and sighed happily. She was glad when she found no tears escaping her eyes, only peace and joy came from the letter. She quickly folded it up and stuffed it into her bra. Looking up at the clock on the wall, she gasped and realized that she had five minutes left to prepare. She scrambled around and began sloppily writing in a scroll and rushing around to gather any weapons she could get her hands on. Attaching some explosive tags here and there, scribbling, bundling, rushing around like a mad woman, she did her best with the five minutes she had.