Naruto thanked Kami that Kakashi had them do menial D-rank missions the rest of the week. Sakura and Shikamaru had made leaps and bounds with regards to getting their chakra back under control, but Naruto felt like he was back in the Academy trying to learn the clone jutsu.
He had tried numerous times to make Shadow Clones. The more copies of him training the better. But every clone was overloaded with chakra and they dispersed almost instantly.
Sakura, now that she had regained her previous level of control, had trouble restraining her ability. In the future, she never hid the monstrous strength she learned from Tsunade. Her temper and fists made her quite infamous in Konoha. But Sakura couldn't shatter mountains at this age, and occasionally a glimpse of her true strength shone through. It helped that she siphoned the majority of her chakra into the newly formed Yin Seal, hidden beneath wrappings on her left forearm. It reduced her chakra to manageable levels.
In Naruto's opinion, Shikamaru had it the easiest. Well, not counting Gaara. Suna was so afraid of him that they wouldn't notice any change in his personality. He only had to act lazy, which wasn't much of an act because all Naras were born with a predisposition to relax at every possible chance. After the last seven years, Naruto envied him for being able to take advantage of that.
Kakashi never trailed them after practice again, but the time travelers agreed not to meet during the day. It was bad enough that he had done it once. If he ever actually spotted the three of them together, or Kami forbid Asuma started stalking them too, they would never get anything done.
Speaking of getting things done, Naruto was reaching the point where he wanted to go kill Orochimaru. They had yet to do one thing to prevent their future from unfolding. It was only Shikamaru's warning that cautioned him. If the snake didn't kill and replace the Kazekage, the invasion wouldn't occur and it could be years before they meet up with Gaara and Temari.
Naruto thought they would forgive his impatience. If he killed Orochimaru now, he would never bite Sasuke. How could he let an opportunity to save his brother pass him by?
But he did as his friend advised; nothing.
The pleasure it would give him aside, if Naruto took out Orochimaru this early, the changes to the future would be drastic. If the invasion did not occur their knowledge would become pointless because the future would take an entirely different path.
When faced with the unknown and letting his village be attacked, Naruto chose to welcome Orochimaru. At least they knew what he was planning.
The Third Hokage fixed his jounin senseis with a steely gaze. The chuunin exams were upon them once more, this time being Konoha's turn to host them. The exams were a chance to display a village's strength, a weapon. By showing off the best there was to offer they showed they won missions from clients and warned off the other villages from thinking about starting another Shinobi War.
Sarutobi wanted only the best to take part.
"We shall begin. Kunugi Mokume."
"My team will participate, Hokage-sama."
"Gai Might."
"My team's flames of youth burn brightly. I had them wait a year so they would be the most youthful ones competing. Team Gai will participate as well."
"Aoba Yamashiro."
"No sir. My team has recently lost one of its members. Even if there was a replacement I would not nominate them."
"Hamaki Mimura."
"I do not nominate Team Sixteen."
"Asuma Sarutobi."
"I nominate Team Ten." The crowded room of jounin fell silent. Nominating rookies was not a course of action taken lightly, and most jounin chose to wait a minimum of a year like Gai. It was all too easy for gennin to die in these exams.
"I nominate Team Ten." The Hokage's son repeated.
The Hokage nodded and moved on to the next jounin. "Kurenai Yuuhi."
The lone female jounin sensei stood proudly. "I nominate Team Eight."
The Hokage inhaled a puff of his pipe, blowing the smoke out. "Very well. If that is all the nominations."
"What about Kakashi?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. He had hoped by leaving the rookie gennin until the end, even the ever late Kakashi would appear on time. "I will summon him. You're dismissed." He waited until the various senseis filed out of his office. "You can stop haunting the window, Kakashi."
The masked man crouched in the open window. "I suppose you're also nominating your team?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I have no doubt all three will make chuunin."
Sarutobi was surprised by the confidence with which Kakashi spoke. He knew the reason behind Asuma and Kurenai entering their gennin, more for the experience than a promotion. At present, only the Nara boy had the qualities of a chuunin, and it didn't matter if he thought the whole exam was too troublesome to finish like his Academy exams.
Kakashi shrugged. "They've changed, sir." He said.
"Changed how? Is the Kyuubi affecting Naruto?"
"Nothing like that. There's nothing wrong with his seal." The Sandaime was relieved. He cared for Naruto like a second grandson. Konohamaru treated Naruto with as much respect as he did for the Hokage, going as far as to tell people that Naruto was his brother.
"Fighting Zabuza forced them to mature. Naruto's more level-headed. It's almost like he's another person. He's a shadow of the energetic boy that always shouted he was going to be Hokage. And Sakura's stopped complaining and asking Sasuke out. She's buckled down and is learning at a frightening pace. The only one really unchanged is Sasuke." Kakashi finished.
"Are you positive you wish to nominate them?"
"Yes. Not that I think they'll fail, but if they do it will be a learning experience. But they'll pass with flying colors."
"If you are sure."
"We won't hold back."
Shikamaru and Sakura both blinked at their leader. As per usual as of late, they were arguing over what to do about the upcoming chuunin exams. They debated every detail, with Gaara and Temari throwing their two cents in via the scroll.
The sand duo had confirmed their father's death. Neither sibling had wanted to prevent his murder and shed no tears.
To Naruto, that meant he had free reigns to hunt down the snake bastard that was about to ruin Sasuke's life. Luckily for him, Orochimaru was slithering straight into a trap, pretending to be the Sound team's sensei. He would be dead before the exams were over, preferably in the Forest of Death where Naruto could leave his body to be picked clean and torn apart by animals.
The main point of contention, because no one was going to fight Naruto or Sakura on the topic of saving Sasuke for the umpteenth time; they'd only be wasting their breathe because the pair would do what they wanted anyway, was how to deal with the second and third parts of the exam.
One thing that had to change was Sakura's loss. This time she needed to pass the preliminary. That was given. She had sworn eleven years ago that she would no longer watch her teammates from behind, and instead walk beside them. There was no way she would be sitting in the stands this year.
Naruto hadn't said a word until just now, leaving the arguing to his two subordinates. Shikamaru was of the opinion that Sakura's rise in abilities would be too noticeable if she beat Ino this time around and that for appearance's sake she had to fail a second time.
"There's no need for us to play it safe at this point. We're making ripples. They'll spread and eventually touch the other side. We came back to make changes. We will not hide. Madara hasn't and won't start moving for three years. That's more than enough time for us to deal with the consequences of making a splash in the exams. This time, I want him to know what he'll be dealing with."
The silence seemed tangible after Naruto's impassioned speech. All Sakura and Shikamaru could do was bow their heads, follow their leader's orders and say, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
As with every time they addressed him formally, the blonde scowled. He didn't have much time to be Hokage. Sasuke had attacked scant weeks after he had been sworn in. Naruto repeatedly told them not to call him that, both out of respect for the old man and because it wasn't wise to run around calling him the Hokage. He had even tried ordering them, since they insisted that he was their Hokage, not the third.
But they had soundly refused. To them, Sarutobi had been dead for eleven years. Naruto was the Hokage. He had earned the title, led them even when the village had been destroyed, continuing to fight for the future, as the Will of Fire demanded of all Konoha shinobi. Nobody deserved the title more, so when it was just the three of them, Sakura and Shikamaru addressed him with the respect he had toiled for.
With Naruto's orders given, the topic of the chuunin exams shifted to teasing Shikamaru about the two major blondes in his life.
The pineapple haired boy pillowed his head on his arms and gazed at the clouds. "Ino's too troublesome. She's like a harpy, always screeching in my ear about not sleeping during training. I get up at four in the morning to run around Konoha with you insane people and she can't cut me a break. I mean, I don't even get to eat breakfast."
He glared when Naruto sniggered at him.
"She's better once she mellows out." Sakura said fairly.
"Which she won't do because you plan on keeping Sasuke around." He returned. Sakura shrugged. "Anyway, you know Temari would kill me if I cheated on her."
"At least you both can be with your lovers. Mine is still a twelve year old girl that faints whenever I say hi to her," grumbled Naruto. Sakura forced a smile on her face as he continued to rant about the unfairness, how he was the only one that didn't get to bring his girlfriend with him, and quickly decided that she needed to be alone.
She had no clue how she was going to deal with Gaara's arrival. So far her plan was to deal with it when he came.
Sakura honestly didn't know how she felt about him. Naruto and Shikamaru were lucky. They at least knew that their feelings were returned. It was different for her and Gaara. She didn't know if she loved him. In the war, every day was just fighting and every night was burying dead and healing the injured. Every moment was filled with thoughts of, 'will the next one be me' or 'do I know this one?' Everyone needed comfort, a shoulder to cry on, a person to hug, someone to just be there for you and you for them back. Sakura took comfort in Gaara, but did she love him? Did he love her? She couldn't answer that.
And what about Sasuke? What about Matsuri? Matsuri was just a child here in this time, and she was in Suna and never even met Gaara. She knew there had been something between teacher and student. Could she steal him before Matsuri had a chance to know him? And Sasuke was still all about revenge. He was not evil, though he would walk in the line to get the power he craved. Did she love him still? Did she want him more than Gaara? Did she want him at all?
Sakura couldn't answer those questions either. Her heart was torn in two. She and Gaara had spent many nights talking. The pinkette was positive the romantic feelings towards Sasuke were a remnant of her twelve year old self. The only love she felt for him now was familial.
But her heart fluttered at the thought of the future Kazekage and she felt butterflies in her stomach every time his name was spoken. Sakura took a calming breath. She would deal with Gaara when he got here.
Two thirds of Team Seven awaited the arrival of their chronically late sensei with a decided nervousness. Today he would give them the forms to fill out for the chuunin exams and in mere minutes they would see the sand siblings for the first time since their return.
"Where is he?" Naruto growled.
Sasuke shot him a glare. "Shut up, dobe. And stop pacing."
"Guys, let's not fight."
"Yes, you boys best listen to Sakura." Kakashi called from his perch on the bridge's support beam. "I'd hate to have to withdraw you from the chuunin exams because you can't work together."
Naruto tuned out his sensei's explanation of the exam and his emphasis on it being their individual choice whether or not to participate. He honestly didn't know how he didn't catch that it could only be done as a team the first time around. There was no way Kakashi would ever turn around and tell them to go at it alone after the scare tactic he used their first day.
Kakashi would always preach teammates and teamwork first. Sometimes Naruto wondered how he would have grown if he had had a different sensei. Would he have fought so hard to bring back Sasuke? Would he have been more of a rule follower?
Naruto couldn't help but shudder. He would probably never follow the rules. His maudlin thoughts were irrelevant. Naruto would never leave a teammate behind. He, Sakura, and Sasuke would grow stronger together, as a team. The way it should have always been.
The blonde carefully placed his entry form in his pocket, watching as Sasuke already headed in the direction of the training grounds. Naruto spared his pink haired teammate a look before he raced off to oust Konohamaru's square rock disguise.
The scene played out just as he remembered, with Konohamaru insulting Sakura and the mad demon chasing them down the street. The similarities ended after the young boy bumped into Kankuro.
Temari snatched Konohamaru out of her brother's hand, grinning at his half confused half angered face, and clapped Naruto on the back heartily.
He could only watch agog as she hugged the pink haired girl, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when his insane brother greeted them in a similar manner.
Sakura felt her face flush when Gaara turned to her after hugging Naruto. He was as handsome as she remembered. He didn't look insane. She couldn't see the shadow of Shukaku in his eyes. She held onto him a little longer than just friends would.
Temari's pointed cough broke them apart. "Where's Shika?"
"You'll see him tomorrow. His team won't return from their mission until later today." The Suna kunoichi pouted at that answer.
Poor Kankuro couldn't make any sense of the proceedings and jumped to obey Gaara when he said they were leaving. One thing he was sure about. Konoha shinobi were insane.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura met outside the building were the first part of the chuunin exams was to take place. It was no trouble making out the others in the crowd.
Their path was blocked by the group of gennin trying to gain entrance to the wrong room guarded a pair of chuunin. Tenten was pleaded for them to let her team through when Sasuke scoffed that only an amateur would be fooled by such a weak genjutsu.
Lee once again blocked Sasuke's strike on the undercover chuunin. It was when Lee moved that Sakura saw something unexpected, and her arm shot out to grab Naruto's.
"What?"
"Look there over Lee's shoulder."
Naruto stared at a familiar head of black hair and pale skin. "Is that Sai?" Naruto was baffled. Why was Sai there? Was he there the first time? Or had they changed something without realizing it?
Sai was lost in a sea of faces as many gennin tried to take advantage of the chuunins distraction to slip into the exam room. Then Lee caught sight of Sakura and made his declaration of love.
"My name is Rock Lee. Let's go out together! I'll protect you until the day I die!" He gave her a thumbs up, winking and showing off his very white teeth.
Sakura felt like her face was on fire. The grief she felt nearly crushed her. Someday Lee just might sacrifice himself to save her. It was embarrassing the first time Lee asked her out, but with Shikamaru, Gaara and Temari present to overhear it, it was mortifying. She could help but glance at Gaara, who looked slightly dangerous, out of the corner of her eye.
"I'm sorry, Lee, but there's somebody else I like."
Lee trudge away with his head hung and Sakura scurried past her laughing fellow time travelers.
Kakashi met them outside the double door room to give them one last piece of advice. When the door closed behind his students, he had to mentally wonder if the rest of participants were ready for them.
Naruto threw open the door confidently. The beginning of a new future was right before him, and he had both Sakura and Sasuke at his sides.
There was absolutely nothing that could go wrong. Not when it was Shikamaru's genius plan.
Don't ever expect such quick updates from me. I write when inspiration strikes, and it hit me over the head with a Rasengan at the moment.