As the Chunin Exams approached, Minato's squad trained relentlessly. Hana, in particular, was determined to sharpen every skill she had, hoping for a breakthrough. But despite her constant nagging, Minato remained firm about holding off on teaching her a new jutsu until after the first stage of the exam.

"You'll learn it when you pass," he told her with that infuriatingly calm smile as he passed her by the bathroom.

"But why not now?" she groaned, brushing her curls back into a high ponytail.

"Nope," he said again, chuckling as he disappeared down the hall.

Irritated but still focused, Hana finished getting ready. At the kitchen table, Kushina greeted her warmly with breakfast.

"Good luck today," Kushina said, placing a protein-packed plate in front of her. "Wish the others well for me too."

Hana ate quietly, nerves creeping in. "What if I don't pass?"

"You will," Kushina reassured her with a smile. "You're more ready than you think."

After a few more encouraging words, Hana set off, her boots hitting the dirt with purpose. The morning breeze threatened to undo her curtain bangs, forcing her to pin them back with small clips.

At the training ground, Rin, Obito, and Kakashi were already waiting with Minato.

"Time to register," Minato told them. "From here on, it's up to you. I'll be watching the final rounds, but I can't guide you through this part. Got it?"

They all nodded.

As they entered the academy and followed the signs to registration, Hana marveled at the sheer variety of ninjas from other villages. The line to sign in was long, winding across the hall. As she reached into her pouch for chapstick, it slipped and rolled across the floor.

She crouched to retrieve it—but a figure got to it first.

"Here."

She looked up—and stopped breathing for a moment.

The boy standing before her was tall, lean but broad-shouldered, dressed in dark Mist attire with a noble's subtle flair. His long black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, a few strands framing his sharp features. Piercing icy blue eyes locked onto hers, unreadable yet intense.

His voice was smooth, low, and carried a certain weight—calm but commanding.

"You dropped this," he repeated.

Hana blinked and took the chapstick with a quiet "Thanks."

The boy gave a polite nod and turned away. Another girl, shorter with fiery eyes and a presence like a storm cloud, hovered nearby. She huffed and stormed off without a word, clearly irritated.

Rin leaned closer. "Who was that?"

"No clue," Hana muttered, her eyes trailing after him. "But... damn."

Obito scowled. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. None of them commented.

Soon after, Hana's attention was drawn to someone else—another girl standing across the room in Cloud ninja attire. She was petite, with short dark green hair and piercing silver eyes, and she was glaring at Hana like a predator sizing up its next meal.

Hana blinked and tilted her head slightly, giving the girl a subtle once-over. What the hell is her problem? She didn't recognize her at first—only that something about her presence made her uneasy. The girl's energy was cold, calculating, and full of something darker... something personal.

Before she could dwell on it, the girl began walking toward her with purpose, a sneer already forming on her face.

The crowd around them seemed to fall away as the tension sharpened.

"You dropped something else, Uzumaki," the girl said as she approached, her voice dripping with venom.

Hana froze, her brows knitting. That voice. That tone. Her stomach twisted in recognition. She didn't know her name—but she knew that voice.

Her jaw clenched. "It's you," she said sharply.

The girl's smirk deepened. "Oh, I remember you too," she said. "Let's just say I'm looking forward to seeing you bleed."

"Who the hell are you?" Hana demanded.

"You'll find out," the girl said, silver eyes gleaming. "Because of you—"

"Nozomi," a calm, authoritative voice cut in.

Hana's attention shifted to a boy standing behind her. He looked about their age—tall with pale skin, long black hair tied back into a low ponytail, and hazel-gold eyes that held an eerie kind of stillness. His presence was quiet, but there was a sharp edge to it, like a blade sheathed under silk.

"Nozomi," he repeated, his tone cold. "That's enough."

"Tch. Stay out of this, Kurohito," Nozomi hissed, her entire demeanor shifting with irritation.

"It has everything to do with me when you're drawing attention before the exams even begin," he said calmly. "You know the rules."

With a bitter scoff, Nozomi backed off but not before shooting Hana one last glare.

Kurohito gave a slight bow toward Hana. "My apologies. She's... difficult."

Then, just as effortlessly, he turned and walked away, Nozomi reluctantly following.

Rin, Obito, and Kakashi were silent for a moment before Obito broke it. "What the hell was that?"

"She's the one from the Blood Mist mission," Hana muttered, still glaring after her. "The one who attacked me."

"She didn't even bother to hide her face this time," Rin said, frowning.

Kakashi's gaze lingered on Nozomi as she disappeared into the crowd. "She's dangerous. Don't let her get into your head."

"Oh, trust me," Hana replied, cracking her knuckles. "If I get paired against her, I'm not just passing this exam—I'm crushing her."

After registration, the squad entered one of the academy classrooms designated for the first portion of the exam. The room buzzed with tension—foreign ninja teams sizing each other up, some posturing already like they were mid-battle. But one voice broke through the noise, loud and unmistakable.

"Hana! Kakashi! Over here!" Guy's enthusiastic voice rang out like a war horn. He stood at his desk, fists on his hips in a victorious pose. "Ready to be defeated by the power of youth?!"

Kakashi blinked, deadpan. "Did you say something?"

Guy immediately collapsed into a dramatic gasp, clutching his chest like he'd been mortally wounded.

Still holding his flair, he grinned and turned to Hana. "Don't expect me to hold back just because you're a girl."

Hana smirked, unfazed. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Obito chuckled under his breath, and even Rin cracked a smile. The playful tension between their teams had a way of making everything feel a little less serious—at least for the moment.

Kakashi folded his arms, his usual cool demeanor intact. "Just don't trip over your 'power of youth' on the way to losing."

Guy dramatically pointed. "I will remember this!"

Before the banter could go further, the classroom door opened, and a tall, narrow-eyed jonin stepped inside. He looked calm—unshakably so—with an air of boredom that somehow made him even more intimidating.

"I'm Satoru," he said flatly. "I'll be your proctor. You're taking a written test first."

A collective groan echoed through the room.

"I don't care how you feel about it," Satoru added coolly, his bright blue eyes sizing us up in the room. "One question. That's all you're allowed to ask. Make it count."

He motioned for everyone to take their seats. Hana ended up between Obito and Kakashi, with Rin nearby. Papers were passed out. The tension in the room shifted—no longer just from rivalry, but now from creeping anxiety.

Satoru paced slowly as he continued. "Choose your questions carefully. Choose your answers more carefully. And for those of you thinking of cheating... well, we'll find out."

Silence fell like a blanket.

As the test began, Hana scanned the paper. She tackled what she could first—basic knowledge, strategy, jutsu theory—but there were a few questions that made her eyes twitch. Seriously? I don't remember this from the academy.

She glanced over at Obito, who had his pencil hovering over the paper like it was a foreign object. He was doodling a tiny version of himself winning the Chunin Exams. She tapped his shin lightly with her boot and tilted her paper just enough for him to see. He grinned in quiet thanks and got to copying.

Halfway through, she felt another tap—this time from her other side. Kakashi had nudged his paper slightly toward her, cool and subtle, like he'd done this before.

She blinked in surprise but caught the message and nodded. Together, they managed to complete the test before the timer went off.

Satoru snapped his fingers. "Time's up."

The jonin assistants moved through the room, collecting the papers. No explanation, no scoring.

Then Satoru walked over to the front desk, picked up the entire stack of papers—and dropped them straight into a trash bin.

Confused murmurs rippled through the room.

"You all pass," Satoru said bluntly. "This test wasn't about knowledge. It was about how you handle pressure. Whether you panic. Whether you crack. Out there, hesitation can get your team killed. This test told us what we needed to know."

The room fell into stunned silence.

"Lunch break. Next round starts soon. Dismissed."

Outside, the teams scattered. Hana naturally found her way to Ichiraku Ramen. The scent alone calmed her nerves, and Teuchi greeted her with his usual grin while Ayame set to work without even asking for her order.

She sat quietly, still processing the emotional whiplash from the exam. She had just started to relax when the curtain at the entrance shifted.

"Hana?"

She turned. Kakashi stood there, looking more awkward than she'd ever seen him.

He stepped inside and took the seat next to her, clearing his throat.

"There's... a festival coming up," he said carefully, not meeting her eyes. "And I was wondering if... you wanted to go. With me."

Hana stared at him, caught completely off guard. Her heart lurched unexpectedly, and heat began to rise up the back of her neck.

Kakashi? she thought. He's just... Kakashi. My teammate. My friend. My—

But then Obito's face flashed across her mind, uninvited.

Her stomach twisted.

"I'll... think about it," she said, eyes darting away. "I think my aunt and uncle were planning something that weekend. I'll find out and let you know."

Kakashi nodded, unreadable. "Okay. No rush."

He left shortly after, the curtain falling shut behind him.

Hana stared down at her ramen, her chopsticks hovering above the bowl.

Her heart was racing.

Something is seriously wrong with me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So the change I made here was the character Kuroshi. I came up with his name when I was 12, lol, so we're changing that since I find it embarrassing on my end. His new name is "Suiren Amagiri" and whenever you see the name Kuroshi as I edit this, just remember the new name. I also wrote this back in like 2014, and now, when I read Satoru, I have an "everything reminds me of him" moment because of Gojo 🤣 I unintentionally made his eyes blue too lmao.