June 25th, 63 AE
"The Chunin Exams will start on July 1st. Here are your forms, and you must fill them and submit them at the Academy by noon on that day." Anko handed the forms to her students, who smiled and thanked her for them. "I hope I will be leading a squad of three Chunins after this exam, kids. After all, I am too good to be babysitting three Genins for more than six months."
Karin and Shizuka laughed at her words and thanked her for the forms.
"The people from other villages have started to come now, so, you can spend your days spying on them to gather any valuable information before the exams start. However, remember that fighting is not allowed in the Village these days. If you are caught, you will be disqualified even before you appear for the exams. Understood?"
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Good."
"Sensei?"
"Yes?"
"Which villages are participating in this Chunin Exam?" Shizuka curiously asked.
"Sunagakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Otogakure expressed their willingness to take part in the exams right after the last Chunin Exam held in Kumo at the end of last year. However, the Hidden Cloud, who usually take part only in the end of the year Chunin Exams, expressed their desire to participate in this session two weeks ago."
"How many teams are participating from Kumo?"
"Two. And Raikage has already claimed that they will have the Ultimate Winner in this session of the Chunin Exam as well." She smirked.
"What about the other Villages?"
"Ten teams from Suna. Seven teams from Ame. Five teams from Kusa. Four teams from Taki. And one team from Oto. Konoha will have the most teams since we are the hosts this time."
"How many?"
"27 so far. Hokage has called in Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenei to ask for their opinion on their Teams joining the Chunin Exams. So, at most, 30."
"We have so many Genins waiting to be Chunins?" Shizuka frowned.
"Yes. The Village has not produced good number of Shinobi in a while, especially not since the Uchiha Massacre. This is also why we have performed very poorly in the Chunin Exams since that incident." Anko folded her arms on her chest and leaned against the railing. "In fact, your class is the one with the most potential in a long while, and that is why the Hokage is considering letting the other three Rookie Teams take part in the exams as well."
They all nodded their heads in understanding and then smiled.
"Just perform well. Winning is not everything. Your promotion is already guaranteed if you don't mess up big time." The Hebi-sensei shrugged, and Karin pouted at her words.
"No fun! We are winning this!" She declared.
"Add 'Dattebayo' to it." Shizuka playfully said, reminding them of Naruto's catchphrase, and they all laughed, including their sensei.
"Dismissed." Anko waved her hand in goodbye, and then her Shadow Clone dispelled itself.
"Wow... she doesn't even come to the Team Meetings in person anymore."
"She's not in the village," Enma informed them, and the two girls looked at him in surprise.
"What?"
"Yes," He nodded. "She's Training."
He did not give them any details and turned to look towards the sky.
Karin too sensed the sand in the air, which was filled with Chakra, and not just any Chakra. It had hints of an evil Chakra.
"There's a Jinchuriki in the Village." The Princess narrowed her eyes soon as she opened them after using her Mind's Eye. It had not taken her a long to find the source of the sand, which was a boy her age.
"This sand is special..." Enma frowned.
"Shukaku?"
His sister guessed, but he shook his head.
"No. It's not Shukaku alone. There's something else here, a third Chakra, acting as a shield to that boy's Chakra. It's linked to his life, and it seems to have a will of its own... the sand is not even consuming his own chakra... it's strange..."
"Did you see his Chakra Reserves?" Karin smiled when she paid attention to something interesting.
"Yeah. His Chakra Pool is almost the same size as that of Naruto's personal Chakra Pool, which nearly matches your own." He teased her with his last sentence.
"Hmph!" She pouted and folded her arms on her chest. "They are nowhere close to me."
"Yes, yes, my mighty Karin has the highest Chakra Reserves in the world." He grinned as he sensed her get mad at him.
"Don't tease me, Nii-san." She warned him, and knowing well that she would stop talking to him if he kept insisting on it, he stopped.
She beamed a smile at him when she saw him shrug, closed her eyes, but then rushed away in a haste when she saw something happening through her Mind's Eye.
Shizuka, without a word, chased after her, but Enma stayed in his place as he observed the sand in the sky.
A few moments earlier...
"Stop that. You will get yelled at later, Kankuro," said a blonde haired girl with a Suna Forehead Protector around her neck.
Sakura was very nervous as she watched the older boy in black outfit with face paint, who was carrying a mummy on his back, holding Konohamaru by his collar.
"I am sorry. We were just playing around. Please let him go."
"Let go of him now or I will teach you a lesson!" Naruto shouted, growing angrier.
However, the boy paid no heed to his warning.
Seeing that he was really going to harm the little boy, the blond Uzumaki rushed forward, and instantly tripped on something invisible.
Tired of the training he did earlier, he fell face first into the street, and Sakura looked at him in confusion.
"Let go..." Konohamaru struggled to free himself and ended up kicking into the chest of the Suna Shinobi, whose eyes dangerously narrowed at him.
"You are quite lively... you little punk!" He raised his hand, and Naruto, seeing what he was about to do, tried to get up but soon found himself entangled in thin and sharp Ninja Wires.
His heart instantly slowed down, and he glared at Kankuro, who was smirking his way.
"Seriously, Konoha Genins are so pathetic." He taunted them, and Naruto grew even more mad.
"It... hurts..."
"Let go of him or I will never forgive you!" He growled when he saw his little friend in pain.
"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura shouted at him, and then composed herself as she took a deep breath. "Please let him go. His name is Sarutobi Konohamaru. He is Hokage's grandson."
Kankura seemed surprised at her words, and it was the same for the girl by his side.
"Let him go, Kankuro."
"You are scared, Temari?" He grinned and then chuckled as he watched the little punk struggle some more. "Knowing that he is Hokage's grandson just makes me want to break him into pieces even more."
His cold words stunned them all, and even Naruto froze at them, finally sensing the gravity of the situation.
The blonde girl sighed at her companion's words.
"Just remember that I have nothing to do with what's happening here." She sighed again, and Kankuro grinned at her words as he pulled back his fist to punch the little Sarutobi.
He swung his arm, but on the way, something fast hit his fist, which made him wince in pain.
A pebble fell on the ground, and then his eyes shot towards the direction it had come from.
There was a boy sitting on the branch of a tree, tossing another peddle in his hand, and his eyes were lazily looking in his direction.
"What do you think you are doing in someone else's village... Punk?"
Naruto, Sakura, Moegi, and little Udon too turned to look in the direction of the voice.
"Sasuke!" Sakura seemed to have seen the ray of hope as she saw her object of affection come to their rescue.
Naruto, however, did not seem pleased at the appearance of his friend.
Konohamaru quickly ran to the side of Naruto, but Sakura grabbed him and saved him from getting entangled in Ninja Wires as well.
"Another little punk pisses me off..." Kankuro spoke under his breath, dangerously looking at the Uchiha.
However, what he received in response were two very cold words.
"Get lost," said sasuke as he crushed the pebble in his left hand, turning it into dust.
His warning was very clear, and seeing how cool he looked, Sakura had stars in her eyes now.
"Naruto-nii... why are you so lame?" The little Sarutobi's blunt words made the blond Uzumaki feel even more embarrassed, and he quickly started making excuses.
"I was going to save you..."
"Hmph!"
Kankuro, on the other hand, was not impressed by Sasuke acting cool.
He grabbed the tape around the mummy on his back and pulled it, bringing it on the ground by his side.
"Hey, are you insane?" Temari screamed at her companion. "You can't use Crow here..."
"Come down here, you Little Punk. I hate people like you the most." The boy ignored her warning and coldly spoke to the Uchiha.
Sasuke was about to jump off the tree when he heard words that froze him and everyone else.
"Kankuro, stop it." It was a cold voice, very indifferent, and it was coming from right behind him. "You are an embarrassment to the village."
His heart thumped hard as he looked back, and there, handing upside down from the other brach of the tree behind him was a boy with strange dust like pale skin with "Love" tattooed on his forehead.
The boy had auburn hair, carried a gourd on his back, and he was around the same age as him.
"G-gaara..."
Sasuke's heart trembled again when he heard the fearful voice of the haughty Sand Shinobi...
"Why do you think we came all the way here to Konoha, Kankuro?" Gaara indifferently asked.
"P-please, listen to me, Gaara... They lashed out first..."
"Shut up!"
The words sent chills to their spines, and they were followed by another four words that made then feel cold even on this summer day.
"Or I will kill you."
"U-understood. I was wrong. I am sorry. I really am sorry..." Kankuro was clearly very panicked.
Gaara kept staring at him, and everyone forgot to breathe.
Sasuke tensed up when the auburn-haired boy suddenly looked his way, but he was surprised at words that left his mouth.
"I am sorry about that." He apologised on behalf of the older boy, but it did not really sound like an apology.
It was very... indifferent.
The Uchiha's eyes widened in surprise as the bog suddenly dematerialised into sand, and then materialised again next to the girl and boy from Suna.
"Let's go. We are not here to play around."
He started walking, and the two obediently followed him.
"Stop!" Sakura, emboldened by Sasuke's presence, called out and stepped forward.
The three Sand Shinobi stopped, and the blonde girl looked back at her in curiosity.
"What is it?"
"What are the Shinobi of Hidden Sand doing in our Village?" She seriously asked. "Identify yourselves and your purpose. You are not allowed to enter Konoha without permission even if you are from an allied village..."
Temari laughed at her words, and Kankuro did the same.
"What are you? And have you been living under a rock?" She mockingly asked as she took out her permit and showed it to her. "See. That's the permit."
"As for why we are here... we are Genins from the Hidden Sand, and we are here to participate in the Chunin Exams," said Kankuro.
"Oh..."
"What's Chunin Exams?" Naruto asked a question that shocked them all, and the Sand Shinobi smirked before they turned around and followed Gaara, who was already leaving.
"Hey, you, with the gourd, stop!" Sasuke suddenly jumped off the tree. "What's your name?"
Gaara stopped and curiously looked back at him.
"I am Gaara of the Desert." He said. "You are an interesting one. So, what's your name?"
Sasuke smiled at him.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
The two kept staring into each other's eyes, and an invisible tension started building between them.
However, it was broken by a goofy boy.
"Hey, hey, do you want my name too?" Naruto excitedly asked.
"Not interested," said Gaara as he turned around, but froze when a pair of fingers touched his forehead.
Temari and Kankuro froze at the sight too, and they looked at the fair-skinned red-haired girl, who was grinning at Gaara.
"Hehe... Gotcha." Karin said as she drew back her hand, and then calmly walked past the three of them and greeted her friends.
"Karin-nee!" Little Moegi was very excited to see her, and jumped right into her arms.
However, behind them, Gaara's body suddenly started trembling.
"Hey, hey... Gaara.. relax..." Kankuro panicked, fearing the worst.
"Listen to your brother, Little Jinchuriki."
Gaara froze at the words and looked to his right, where a red-haired blindfolded boy was leaning against the wall, his arms folded on his chest.
"I will kill you if you ever try to harm my little sister." He said, and before any of them could blink, Enma was right in front of the Sand Jinchuriki.
A smile formed on the Uzumaki's face, and he chuckled as he sensed the chakra that was all set to protect the boy.
"Be nice to me, and I will be nice to you." He gently whispered and then walked right past him, ignoring the sand on the ground that was growing agitated.