Another newish scene? Hm...

"Hello, mister!"

Walking into the store and closing the door behind me, I suppress a large yawn, and make my way to the weapons' rack. Grabbing four packages of kunai, I'm about to checkout, when something across the room in the accessories area catches my eye. Sets of gloves and armguards are hung up or sitting on an assortment of shelves, all of them in all sorts of colours – I spot a pair of armguards that match the same colour of my current outfit; they're most definitely from the same collection.

It's not that I'm worried or self-conscious about my new scars on my arms; I'd made the decision not to get them further checked out by a doctor from the hospital, to leave them as a reminder for where I'd been when I look back on things. Approaching them, I find that they're adjustable for size and length, meaning I'd still be able to wear them when I grow more, so it makes the decision to buy them, too, is easy.

Today, I'm supposed to be meeting Kakashi-sensei and the others. After what went down in the Land of Waves, I'd lost most of my kunai and my outfit had been torn by Haku's senbon, so a bit of early morning shopping before we were all set to meet was necessary. I'd go home and have breakfast, too, and then, by the time the meeting was set to start, we'd all be waiting for Kakashi-sensei to be late and give us his usual "Sorry, I got lost on the path of life" spiel for the seventh day in a row.

Sighing internally, I finally return to the man at his desk, both of us smiling in greeting to each other. He totals the prices in silence before giving it to me.

"Say, mister," I start, after I'd taken money from Makara-sensei's pouch, "how come... you don't speak?" He places my bought items in a paper bag, before raising a poised hand in front of his face – a hand sign. "A Jutsu?" I guess. He shrugs his boney shoulders. "Wow... What Jutsu was it?" He shakes his head. "You're... not going to tell me?" He shakes his head again. I frown. "Oh... o-okay." So I relent, and go to hand him some money, but he shakes his head again. "B-But I have to pay you—!" And a fourth.

There's now a little over a half hour left before I'm to go and meet my team on the bridge. It's such a beautiful morning; I probably would've regretted it if I hadn't decided to eat breakfast outside – steamed rice, tamagoyaki, and a little bit of leftover salmon. I'll probably save the leftovers from this for dinner tonight, too, unless my current craving for Mister Teuchi's ramen overpowers my will.

I bunch the rice together in a ball before picking it up with my chopsticks and plopping it in my mouth. It's plain, with only a little bit of soy sauce and salt, but it's still delicious, and healthier than eating instant ramen for breakfast—

My stomach gurgles, interrupting my thoughts. I set my plate down on the porch to glare at it.

"No, I am not craving ramen!" I shout. "I have to eat healthy! Shut up!"

"K-Kari?" Jumping in surprise – no one ever really comes to my house aside from Naruto – I look up from the porch. Big surprise, it is Naruto, even though his voice was a big tip in guessing. And, his chakra, it seems.

"I-I – good morning," I say quickly, but it comes out more desperate than I'd meant it to, hoping that he hadn't seen my strange exchange with my breakfast. "Heh, heh – it's kind of early to you be up, isn't it?"

"I guess so," he replies with a slight shrug, "but I was just too excited to get going!"

"Well, did you eat breakfast yet?" I ask. He rubs the back of his head and chuckles almost guiltily.

"I had a piece of toast, but I, uh, still have to go shopping for other stuff, so that's all I had."

I sigh at him. "Y'know, I did offer yesterday to get stuff for you today," I remind him pointedly. "Well, there's still some food inside – come and eat it up, okay?"

"Really?" Naruto's eyes are only one step away from sparkling. "Alright!" And without another word, he bolts up the stairs and into my house, leaving the door open behind him. Giving my stomach a slight slap, I pick my plate up off the porch and follow him inside.

"Thank you!"

The second I slide the other piece of salmon onto his plate to join the other items, he cuts into it almost immediately. The glass of water I give him after is guzzled down quickly. While he eats, I quickly rinse off and wash the dishes, before sitting across from him at the table.

"No wonder you run out of groceries so fast; you eat so much!" I say, laughing a little at him finishing the last of the rice. "That definitely would've lasted me a couple of meals."

"And it was great!" he cheers. "Hey... can I... come back later, too?"

"L-Later?" I repeat.

"Yeah." He pushes himself out of his seat, taking his dishes with him and setting them on the counter. "It's nice eating with other people. And I always have just cup ramen at home, since I don't really know how to cook or anything... so... y'know... Home-cooked food isn't something I really have a lot of..."

"Naruto..." I'm already frowning, but when he suddenly starts sifting through my cupboards like a tornado, my lips pinch together in annoyance.

"Have you got stuff to make ramen? Or bean soup? Nothing with vegetables, though, okay?"

"Hey, you're not gonna eat me out of house and home!" I exclaim, exasperated.

"W-What? I'm not!" he argues.

"I've seen your apartment, and there's never anything there but garbage – do you even buy groceries?"

"Hey, that's not true! I do buy stuff, but—""If you want to come by sometimes for something to eat, all you have to do is ask, okay?" I interrupt, and he nods, pouting. "But if you do, you're going to eat vegetables, and I don't want to hear a word about it."

"But Kari—""Not a word!"

When the four of us all arrive to the meeting spot, it's... painfully obvious that Naruto still isn't speaking to Sasuke. It's already been a week, and their only exchanges have been ones that were absolutely necessary. Naruto and I arrived together, Sasuke and Sakura separately but at the same time, and I'd greeted both of them, but Naruto completely disregarded Sasuke and only gave a "good morning!" to Sakura.

Looking between the two of them, I find they're both irritated. Turning their noses up in the air away from each other, I share a look of disdain with Sakura, grimacing.

What a couple of babies, I think, miserable.

Kakashi-sensei hasn't been this late before. It's a little frustrating, by this point, but I just hope that whatever he's actually doing to be so tardy after setting a time is worth the while, because it isn't worth ours!

"Hey, guys." Above our heads, we all look up to find our Sensei crouched on top of one of the posts of the Red Bridge, waving at us. "Good morning. I'm sorry I'm late; I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

"I knew you were going to say that," I grumble, unheard over Naruto's and Sakura's outbursts. Naruto runs forward to him, just as he jumps down in front of us.

"I'm ready for the next Ninja mission, Sensei!" he tells him, excited. "And hey, c'mon – no more of this dumb beginners' stuff, okay? I want a chance to prove myself! I'm talkin' a real mission, where I can show what I'm made of!" His chakra suddenly becomes visible around him; I wince from how sharp it feels. "I gotta break out and burn it up, see!?"

"U-Uh, right, I get it," Kakashi-sensei says, hands up before him. "That's great, Naruto, now, uh, take it easy, would you?"

In a way, he does – on Kakashi-sensei anyway. Briefly looking dreamy and dazed, he then turns to Sasuke and shouts, "Believe it!"

"Let us know when you're done fantasizing so we can start the mission, all right?" Naruto nods briskly.

"Right!"

Sakura groans. "Could you not be so annoying, Naruto, just for once?"

The prickly parts of the weeds just won't cooperate. No matter where I try and grab them, I still get jabbed and stab— "Ouch!" It has me thoroughly agreeing with Naruto – literally any mission could be better than this one.

Something tickles my neck. Reaching up, expecting to find a stray hair that hadn't been pulled back when I'd put my hair up – it's way too hot today for me to leave it down -- or perhaps a fly that'd touched down for a moment's rest, I find it's actually a piece of grass. From my spot on the ground, I look over my shoulder to find weeds and herbs raining down around the yard.

Panic overwhelms me, and I'm reaching for Naruto, the very same person to be destroying them.

"Naruto, wait, those aren't—""Hey, you!" a loud voice shouts toward us, the bang of a door following. I spin around and find the woman who owns the garden standing in the doorway, eyes harsh and cast in Naruto's direction.

"Oh, hi, lady!" Naruto greets, his grin misplaced. "I got rid of all your weeds! Pretty cool, huh?" Her eyes – and lips – start twitching. "Uh... what's wrong?"

"You pulled the weeds... and, you also pulled out my plants!"

"H-Huh?"

"Those were special herbs I've been growing," she snaps, "and you destroyed them!!"

The only one of us who decided wearing closed toe Ninja sandals was a smart thing, I'd taken them off before stepping into the riverbed, and so, my bare feet keep slipping every time I manage to find a smooth enough, algae-covered rock beneath the foot of river water. I'd like to reiterate, back from our time in the Land of Waves – I really hate water.

Squeezing the long metal tongs crushes the can clamped between them, and I toss it into the basket hanging off my back. Our current mission has us cleaning up the shoreline and the surrounding area, including the inside of the river, itself, collecting any and all trash we're able to find. There'd been a really bad windstorm that disturbed a nearby encampment on the outskirts of the village, so their waste and pollutants had been spread all over. And, there's a lot. It frustrates me, just how ignorant people are to nature.

Something slides between my feet, though I guess I really should be saying "swims". Quickly looking down, I catch a large fish making its way down the river; its appearance startles me enough that my heart skips a beat before my brain registers what it is. I back away as slow as I can, careful not to step on it or on any of the much smaller fish. When they all finally swim away, I let out a breath of relief that's cut off when Naruto screams from almost directly behind me. I end up moving too late – he'd grabbed onto my basket, causing me to lose my own balance off the rock I'd been standing on, and sending me into the river.

The moment my head gets above the water again, I'm spitting the water that'd gotten into my mouth, and try my hardest to keep it up there long enough to regain my footing, but the further I'm carried downstream, the sooner I realize it's a losing battle. Instead, I find myself travelling farther and faster toward the end of a two-hundred-foot high waterfall alongside my clumsy, knuckleheaded, soon-to-be-dead-if-not-by-me-then-by-the-sharp-rocks-probably-waiting-for-us-at-the-bottom best friend.

"Na-ru-to!" I scream, furious. I reach for the rocks beneath the water, quickly blinded by it when it hits my face upon my search for some kind of something that would stop my momentum, but my fingers only slip away. Naruto latches onto my arm in the same moment the river begins to curve, and I grab back at him tightly, gritting my teeth and screeching through them as we start to fall...!

A painful tug on my free arm reminds me that we're no longer falling, but instead, suspended over our near cause of death, Naruto's hold on my other arm quickly becoming just as painful. Wincing, I look up to find Sasuke hanging above me, tethered to a rope, fingers wrapped tightly around the bit of my wrist and my hand that isn't covered by my new armguards.

"You guys are such losers."

I sigh.

"Aw, c'mere, you!"

I drop to my knees and scratch behind the ears of my chosen dog. Besides Akamaru, this one is the only other dog I've petted before! We'd been requested by a dog shelter that rehabilitates abused and orphaned mutts of all ages, shapes and sizes to take them on walks. The breed of the one I'm currently entrusted with is called an Akita. Because she's only a couple of years old, she isn't that big of a deal in handling. She gets a little fussy when we start slowing down, and her poop messes are no fun to pick up after, but I'm in love with this dog.

Sasuke's and Sakura's dogs are about a third of the size of mine, but their barks are much more ear-piercing. And as for Naruto's dog, well, is there much else I can really say about it other than it being twice his size?

"No, we have to go the other way!" Naruto shouts to it, his heels dug deep into the ground to slow them both down, but it's just dragging him on down toward... a not-so-good area. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"What a loser," Sasuke mutters, and for a first, I'm nodding in agreement with him, and for what Sakura says next.

"Of course, he just has to choose the biggest dog!"

"S-Stop pulling, would you?! We're not supposed to go over there! That's not a place for dogs – it's a minefield!!"

The air quickly and suddenly fills with the electricity from the fully-charged electrical fence only Naruto crashes into, and then they reach the minefield, where only Naruto experiences getting blasted by the pressure from it. We all sigh at him, but it goes mostly unheard under his screams.

"Oh, Naruto..."

"I really wish you'd start being more careful with yourself."

"Look at you; you're hopeless, Naruto!"

"You really are just one big problem."

His body twitches one last time before he's able to pull himself out of mine and Sakura's grasp – we'd picked him up after he'd returned to consciousness after being electrocuted, and somehow, the dog hadn't gotten hurt at all – and able to rush at Sasuke, screaming his name out in fury. Sakura sticks her arm out in front of him to bar his path, groaning.

"If you keep this up, I'll finish you off myself!!"

Kakashi-sensei groans, too, shutting his one visible eye. "I guess we're not making a lot of progress on the teamwork, huh?" he says, his tone flat.

"That's right!" Naruto agrees, sidling past Sakura. "Our teamwork is all messed up and it's all because of you, Sasuke! D'you think you're better than everyone else?!"

"Not everyone," he says, not bothering to turn to face him. "Just you. Face it – I'm better and stronger than you are." He stops and glances over his shoulder at us. "It's a fact. Unless, you have what it takes to prove me wrong."

Just when I thought maybe they'd be better after what the two of them had gone through back in the Land of Waves, something like this gets going. How? Is it Sasuke, always provoking him with his comments? Or is it Naruto, always aggravating the situation? They're just glaring at each other, trying to look more annoyed at each other than the other, but we're all tired and sweaty, so the effort is minimal.

"All right, guys," Kakashi-sensei says before it can possibly get any uglier, "let's call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp some other day. Anyway, I have to file my report on this mission."

"Whatever; I'm out of here," and with a wave of his hand, Sasuke starts walking off. Allowing a quick gasp, Sakura hurries after him.

"W-Wait, Sasuke!" she calls. "I'll go with you!" And she says something else, though I can hear what, but his response must have just sucked for her to so quickly be sulking about it.

"I swear, you're just as bad as Naruto," he adds, shaking his head. "Instead of flirting, why don't you work on your Jutsu to make the team stronger like Kari did?" Her shoulders fall even lower, and I'm looking far away from the situation; I'm not even here, okay? Don't bring me into this, Sasuke!! "Let's face it – you're actually worse than Naruto."

And he finally leaves – leaves the area, and leaves Sakura down in the dumps. Naruto and I end exchanging a look with one another before rushing up to console her, or at the very least, to try and get her mind on something else, rather than Sasuke's less-than-necessary reply. To be perfectly honest, the whole exchange between the three of them on Sasuke's part reminded me solely of Makara-sensei and her assertiveness and blunt truths.

I guess it's more than just their appearances and fighting stances that are similar, I end up grumbling in my thoughts.

"Don't worry about Sasuke," Naruto tells her.

"Y-Yeah; the four of us can work on our teamwork together," I add, deciding against patting her on the shoulder. With a loud sound sounding from behind us, I turn to find our Sensei gone from sight. "Er... the three of us, then. Huh?"

In his place, or perhaps it'd been behind where he stood, sits a perfectly rectangular-shaped rock that isn't a rock, but a box, most likely designed to blend in with the cobbled streets. I tug on Naruto's sleeve, holding one of my other hands' fingers to my lips to keep him quiet before gesturing to the box. Nodding, he walks forward after it, and it backs off. My eyes automatically narrow upon spotting a shoe escape its confines.

Every movement Naruto makes, the box reverses its own, keeping a set distance between the two of them the whole time before he calls it out.

"That's the worse disguise of all time!" he shouts. "There's no such thing as a square rock! It's completely obvious!"

I mean, no, but I'm thinking he's never heard of pyrite, either—

"You saw through my camouflage again!" a muffled voice announces. "You're slick, Boss; that's just what I'd expect from my greatest rival!"

In a blinding yellow light, the box suddenly explodes apart, a cloud of smoke replacing it, along with three children, all of which pose awkwardly. I cough, having inhaled some of their "transformation".

"I-I think we used a little too much gunpowder, guys," the one in the middle says once they've stopped coughing, themselves. Gasping, they look up to Naruto and I, blinking at us before straightening out and taking their own poses.

"I'm Moegi!" the girl says, sticking her arms out. "The sassiest and most talented kunoichi in preschool! Check me out!"

"I love algebra!" the boy with the snot dripping from his once nostril says. "Call me Udon." Like the food? I wonder unfortunately.

"And I'm the number one Ninja in the village, Konohamaru!" the middle one, also the one wearing a long scarf, shouts. "And when we're all together..."

"We're the Konohamaru Ninja Squad!" they announce in unison.

"Yeah, I knew it was you, Konohamaru," Naruto says, throwing his hands behind his head. "Hey, what are you guys wearing? Those goggles on your head?" Konohamaru chuckles.

"You used to wear goggles, remember? So, we're copying you!"

"I knew they looked familiar," I say, smiling, and the boy laughs again.

"Of course, you recognized us! We are the best team in the Hidden Leaf Villa—""I-I meant, um, your goggles," I interrupt, hands pressed together in apology. "Um... not you three." Their expressions falter, but just like that, they return by some means when they look back to Naruto.

"C'mon, boss!" Konohamaru says, fist raised. "Why are you being like that? You ought to be more exciting!" Naruto blinks.

"Uh... so is there something you guys wanted?" he asks them. Konohamaru hangs his arms over his teammates' shoulders.

"He's just trying to act cool!" I catch him whisper-hiss. Moegi tears herself away and frowns up at Naruto.

"You know what we want," she whines. "Are you busy now?"

"I've got to go train!" he tells them.

"What?! But you promised you would play "Ninja" with us today! C'mon!"

"You made a promise, Naruto," I repeat at him knowingly. "What are you gonna do?"

"Uh..." He laughs nervously. "O-Oh. Did I say that?"

Sakura suddenly groans, and the sound of her sandals sliding across the gravel fills the pathway. "A Ninja playing Ninja?" When we turn, I grimace at her sullen appearance. She deadpans at Naruto before glaring hollowly at me, and I jump. "That is so twisted."

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto and I chorus, his own nervous laughter quickly following.

"Hey boss, who are these girls, anyway?" Konohamaru asks, and then, he gasps. "Oh, I get it!" He sniggers. "You're a smooth operator, huh, boss?"

"H-Huh?"

"C'mon – I bet one of them's your—" and he lowers his voice, but I can still hear him say "—girlfriend."

Before I can even make to form the words on my tongue and tell Konohamaru otherwise, Sakura's launched her fist into Naruto's face, sending him flying into the fence next to us.

"Naruto?!" I'm exclaiming.

"Boss!!"

"What kind of second girlfriend are you?!" Konohamaru demands, and the rest of us rush to him.

"I think she cropped him!" Moegi says, hands clasped together. I drop onto my hands, my one cheek pressed into the dirt when I look into Naruto's twitching face.

"At least I won't have to perform CPR a second time on a teammate," I grumble; "He's still conscious; he'll be okay." And then, I hear the most terrible, the most idiotic thing a person could say to a certain volatile someone standing not even five feet away—

"You're a witch! An ugly witch!"

The next thing I know, Sakura's cracked the knuckles of the same fist that makes a home on top of Konohamaru's head. She turns away from him and stops, and so does the blood running through my veins.

J-Just keep quiet, Kari, I tell myself, quick to avert my eyes. She wo-won't hurt you if you don't t-talk.

"And just who was the first person you gave CPR to?" she inquires. Crap, it's too late!!

"I... It was S-Sasuke..."

"A-Am I bleeding? I-Is my head bl-bleeding? I-It feels like I'm bleeding."

My head just keeps on spinning, no matter how hard I try to focus her vision. If that's how hard she hits, I'm never giving her a reason to ever again!! I promise myself, dizzied as I try to sit up, next.

"A-Are you guys okay?" Udon asks. I can't even bring myself to answer, my skull vibrating with pain, and Naruto's silent, too, even as we help each other up.

"I don't even think she's human!" Konohamaru cries, sniffing loudly. "Did you see how wide her forehead is?!"

The so-called non-human freezes in her tracks, as she'd just been walking away. Almost mechanically, her body goes stiff, and she looks back at us from over shoulder. I stagger backward a bit at the terrifying look on her face. My arm is hit by a small hand almost frantically before my hand is grabbed and yanked to run in the opposite direction, pulled along by Konohamaru with Naruto right beside us. I grit my teeth, the fear of getting walloped on my head again fresh in my mind when Sakura takes off at full-speed after us. Leading the way away, Konohamaru is the first to turn the corner onto the next street, but before he can properly enter it, he's suddenly bounced backward toward me. I just barely catch him, falling myself when I've managed to.

"Ouch," and I wince a little, the back of my leg having gotten a little scraped up from the fall. Looking up to where we'd just crashed from after a large shadow is cast over us, I find an older boy dressed head-to-toe in black standing there – and he's not from our village. My eyes had immediately swiveled to the different headband design, different from hours in that it's shaped like an hourglass.

I know that symbol, I realize. That's... the Hidden Sand's, isn't it? What are they doing here?

I set Konohamaru beside me, and almost instantly, he's taken off the ground by the Sand boy from around his scarf.

"So, does this hurt, punk?" And he tightens his grip, making Konohamaru cry out.

"You're hurting him; let him go!" I demand.

"Put him down, Kankuro," a new Hidden Sand Shinobi, a girl with blond hair, says, having just turned the corner, herself, "or you know you'll pay for it later."

"H-Hey, I'm sorry," Sakura says to him, clasping her hands together. "The whole thing was my fault."

"You better take your hands off him right now!" Naruto snaps up at him. The boy, Kankuro, starts grinning, and it isn't in a kind way.

"We've got a few minutes before he gets here," Kankuro says, lifting Konohamaru higher into the air. "Let's mess with these punks, huh?"

"And just what makes us "punks", huh?" I ask him coolly. "Because he accidentally bumped into you? Let go of Konohamaru."

"Yeah, let go of me, you jerk!" Konohamaru screeches, now kicking toward Kankuro as hard as he can. His expression falls flat, his eyes flitting from mine to the boy in his hands.

"You're feisty," he says, "but not for long."

"Put him down!" Naruto brushes past me, nearly knocking me over, but he only gets a few feet ahead when something propels him backward. And I mean "something", because nothing's there.

"What the?! What was that?" he exclaims.

"What did you just do?" I ask, utterly confused.

"You two are Leaf Genin, too?" Kankuro assumes. "Looks like your village is full of wimps."

"H-Hey!" Konohamaru cries. "C-Cut it out! It hurts!"

"That's it!" Naruto leaps up to his feet. "Drop him now or I take you apart, you got that, fool?!" Sakura locks him in a headlock before he can try.

"You're the fool!" she hisses at him. "Making threats isn't going to help, Naruto!"

"You're all too annoying," Kankuro says, sighing. He suddenly clenches his free hand. "I don't like runts or any other scrawny weaklings, so, when a wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth... I just wanna break him in half."

"Fine," his friend says. "I'm not involved in any of this, okay?"

"What's your problem?!" I shout, moving forward to latch onto Kankuro's drawn back arm. "Why do you have to get so violent with us? We didn't mean to bother you on purpose!" With a grunt, Kankuro takes his arm back from me by shaking me back onto the gravel.

"After I'm done taking care of this little squirt, then I'll waste you and the other one!" he promises.

From my place on the ground, my breath catches in my throat when he throws his fist at Konohamaru, but it never connects. From somewhere around us, a large stone connects with his hand, instead, forcing him to drop Konohamaru, on me, of all places, since I hadn't moved yet.

"You're a long way from home," a familiar voice calls, "and you're way out of your league."

Above us, tucked in the trees, stands Sasuke, tossing another rock up and down in his hand. I sigh, relief flooding me, and help Konohamaru to his feet before standing up on my own, moving away from the Sand Shinobi.

"Oh, great; another wimp to tick me off," Kankuro grumbles. Sasuke crushes the rock in his hand and lets the bits and dust from it fall from his hand.

"Get lost."

"Ah, so cool!" Konohamaru and his friends cry. Naruto presses his fingertips together, pouting. Konohamaru whirls on him, tears pooled on his eyelids that quickly start rolling down his cheeks.

"How come you're not like that, huh?!" he demands through his sobs.

"Hey, hey, w-what do you mean?" Naruto says. "I could've taken him out in two seconds flat!"

Not even bothered to argue, Konohamaru turns away from him, and Naruto grits his teeth, fists clenched.

"Hey, punk," Kankuro calls to him. "Get down here." Sasuke doesn't move. "You're the kind of pesky snots I hate the most – all attitude and nothin' to back it up."

He reaches over his shoulder, grabbing a loose bandage that's wrapped around... a human body?! My lips part in horror, terrified to find out if my fear is actually true when he sets it on the ground in front of him.

"What?" the girl with him gasps. "You're going to use the Crow? For this?" I shiver in place – not because of Kankuro and "the Crow", but something else has caught my attention, and the problem is, I-I don't know what it is.

"Kankuro," a new voice suddenly calls. "Knock it off."

N-Never mind, I'm thinking, turning to look up at where it'd come from. I know exactly what it is now.

On the other side of Sasuke's tree stands a boy with red hair, hanging upside down with his feet planted against the underside of his branch. My eyes are immediately drawn to his, and the severe dark circles surrounding them.

"You're an embarrassment to our village," he spits, almost too easily.

"U-Uh, hey, Gaara," Kankuro greets him weakly.

"Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?" Gaara asks, ignoring it.

"I-I-I know!" he stammers in reply. "They challenged us!"

"What?!"

"T-They started the whole thing, really!"

"Stop lying!" I seethe at him.

"No, no, here's what happened—"

"Shut up." I swallow my next words, the ones I'd been ready to interrupt Kankuro's false excuse with, my spine stiffening against my will at the ones Gaara comes out with— "Or I'll kill you."

Now, I'm biting back a scream. I'd been confused about things, ever since we'd been in the Land of Waves. Something about these strange feelings I keep getting, being around other people, and even that night with Mizuki-sensei where I knew exactly where Naruto had been – it's like I can sense people's chakra? I can't explain it any other way. Is this a normal thing? I don't doubt that it is. But right now, I really wish I couldn't, because Gaara's is terrifying me.

"U-Uh, right," Kankuro quickly says. "I'm s-sorry, Gaara; I-I was totally out of line." Gaara turns to Sasuke.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused," he says. In a swirl of sand, Gaara's no longer in the tree, but between me and Kankuro, and I start sweating, the closeness of him and his chakra making me feel dizzy. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play games."

"All right, sure, I get it," Kankuro says, and he takes the quick lead ahead. A flash of pink flies past me – Sakura.

"Hold on!" she calls after them. "Hey!"

"What?" the girl asks, remaining unturned.

"I can tell from your headband... that you're from the Village Hidden in the Sand," Sakura says. "Of course, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies, but no other Shinobi can enter another Village without permission, so state your purpose. And it better be good."

"Really?" the girl says, finally turning. "Have you guys been living under a rock or what? You don't know what's going on, do you?" She reaches into her pocket and pulls a slip out that has her picture and information on it. "We have permission." My eyes go wide. "Of course, you're correct; we are Hidden Sand Genin, our home is the Land of the Wind, and we're here for the Chūnin Exams. Get the picture?"

"The Chūnin Exams?" I repeat, looking around to everyone. "What's that?"

"W-Well, I've never heard of any Chūnin Exams, believe it," Naruto adds. The girl laughs.

"I believe it, all right – that you're totally clueless."

"Hey, boss," Konohamaru calls up to him. "Those are the exams that every Genin's gotta take in order to become a full-on Chūnin!"

"Oh – well, why didn't you say so?" Naruto asks excitedly. "I'm so there!" The two Sand Shinobi chuckle, about ready to leave again when Sasuke jumps down from the tree.

"Hey, you," he says. "Identify yourself." The girl looks back at us again, wearing a genuine smile on her face, her rude façade from a moment ago? History.

"What, me?" she says, sounding hopeful.

"No, him," and Sasuke points ahead. "The guy with the gourd on his back."

"My name is Gaara of the Desert," the boy in question answers. "I'm curious about you, too. Who are you?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," he replies. The insane amount of tension, both from their chakra and otherwise, is thankfully, interrupted by Naruto.

"Hi there!" he says. "I bet you're just dying to know my name, right?"

"I couldn't care less," Gaara says, and this time, the three leave for good.

"H-Hey, Konohamaru?" I glance behind me and see Naruto crouched down in front of him, drawing circles in the dirt. "Do I seem uncool to you?"

"Well, compared to Sasuke, yeah – you're pretty lame."

"It is now time for us to choose our candidates for the Chūnin Exams."

At his desk, the Third Hokage puffs at his gourd, one last time before setting it down on a porcelain tray. Lifting his eyes from it, he looks out to the faces filling his dimmed office – Jōnin, Academy teachers, as well as the assigned Shinobi Proctors for the three examinations have all gathered. "To begin, will those in charge of the rookie Genin step forward?"

Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kakashi Hatake, do.

"What do you say?" Hiruzen asks them. "Are there any in your squad you recommend who are ready for the exam, despite their inexperience? As you know, any Genin who have carried out eight or more missions are technically eligible for the examinations. Beyond that, only you can decide when they are ready. Of course, most Genin require a much longer training period; at least twice that many missions. So, Kakashi, you begin."

The white-haired Jōnin raises his right hands' middle and index fingers in front of his lips and nods.

"I lead Squad Seven," he says. "Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Kari Yamada. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend all four of these Genin for the Chūnin Selection Exams." Iruka Umino, who stands near the middle of the crowd, gasps.

"My Squad is number Eight," Kurenai says. "Hinata Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame – and now I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend all three."

"And my Squad is number Ten," Asuma says. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Chōji Akimichi – and now I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three."

Comments of disbelief ring loud through the room, with Iruka's being the loudest of them all.

"Hold on just a minute!" he shouts. The three Jōnin Sensei turn around to him.

"Yes? What is it, Iruka?"

"Lord Hokage, with all respect, the ten names that were just given were all my students at the Academy! I know each of their strengths and abilities! And Kari's the last person who should given a recommendation for! She was barely my student for three months!"

"Did you not come to me once to praise Kari's progress?" Hiruzen counters.

"That doesn't mean she's ready for the Chūnin Exams," Iruka presses. "She might've passed the Genin Exam with flying colours, and she's a Taijutsu prodigy, but it's too soon. They all have great promise, but they need more experience before they're tested. If they try now, they're sure to fail the exam!"

"When I became Chūnin, I was six years younger than they are now," Kakashi offers. "And Kari's mother was three years younger."

"But they're nothing like you," Iruka insists. "And Kari has completely different abilities than Mara did." He forces the crowd to part away from him as he moves to the front where the Jōnin Sensei stand. "Are you trying to destroy them?"

"Well..." Kakashi thinks for a moment. "They're always complaining about how they're never challenged enough. Maybe wiping out on the exams will teach them a lesson. A little pain is good."

"Wha – What did you say?!"

"Oh, nothing fatal, of course," Kakashi adds, "but seriously, Iruka – relax. Listen, I understand how you feel. It's personal for you, and it upsets you, but—""Alright, Kakashi, back off," Kurenai interrupts. "You've said enough."

"On the contrary, Kurenai, Iruka needs to hear this," he continues. "He needs to realize that they are not his students anymore. They're mine." Iruka fails to suppress his growl, and Asuma and Kurenai sigh in irritable unison.

"But these exams could destroy them! You know that!"

"Iruka!" The Academy teachers turns to the Third Hokage, exasperated. "You have made your point; we understand."

"Lord Hokage—""Accordingly, I have decided that the best thing to do is to hold a special preliminary test."

"P-Preliminary test?"

I sigh over the bridge, my chin resting on the railing, arms dangling over it, too. We'd been told to meet here by our Sensei. My adrenaline finally died down about an hour later after those Sand Shinobi left yesterday, but my frustration's remained. If it weren't for Sasuke showing up when he did, Konohamaru might've really gotten hurt. Ugh, and I just sat there!

I think my frustration has carried over into the next day here, and I'm pretty sure it's contagious. Naruto's breakdown from yesterday was definite proof of it, and now, with Kakashi-sensei being late, again, it's even worse, for all of us. Sakura cries out through gritted teeth.

"Why, why, why?! It's always the same! He sets the time and we have to wait hours for him!"

"It's not fair!" Naruto agrees, raising his hand high above him.

"What about my feelings?" she goes on. "I rushed all the way here 'cause I didn't have the time to blow-dry my hair!"

"And I didn't have enough time to brush my teeth or change my underwear!" Naruto adds – us grimacing is immediate.

A moment later, Kakashi-sensei has finally arrived.

"Hey, good morning, guys," he says, waving at us in apology, but I'm already scowling, preparing myself for his daily spiel. "Sorry, I got lost on the path of life again—""You liar!"

Chuckling, our Sensei jumps down in front of us, holding a finger to his face.

"I know this is a bit sudden, but I recommended you for the Chūnin Exams," he tells us, pulling four cards out from his pocket. "Here are your application forms."

"Application forms?" Sakura says, confused.

"You're repeating me, Sakura. It's all voluntary – it's up to each of you. If you don't feel ready, you can wait until next year." Without warning – although, it probably should've been expected – Naruto jumps up at him, arms slung snug around his neck.

"You rock, Kakashi-sensei!"

"D-Don't slobber on my vest!" And our Sensei sets him back down. Clearing his throat, our applications are passed out to us. I quickly note our names already written on them, and Kakashi-sensei's recommendation note and signature. On the back are empty slots where it looks like we have to write our own information in.

"Whoever wants to take the exam, fill out their application and take it to room three-oh-one at the Academy. It's at three in the afternoon, three days from now. That's it."

"The Chūnin Exams..." I stare down at my card; reading the recommendation on it has a smile climbing onto my face.

I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend Kari Yamada to participate in this year's Chūnin Selection Exams.

"Hm, Chūnin Exams..." I look over at Naruto as we make our way back to the main area of the village. What's there to do now that we have over two days to kill? "I'll be up against a lot of wicked ninja!"

When he says that, all that comes to mind is yesterday's encounter with those Sand Shinobi – more specifically, Gaara of the Desert. I can still feel how his chakra felt, being so close to him. It was smothering, hot, and... quite honestly, it felt evil. Can chakra feel evil? Can that really happen?

I look around at my team. Naruto's almost too obviously daydreaming. There's a distant look in Sasuke's eyes, but he's smirking, so he just might be daydreaming, too. Sakura is pale and looks distracted by her own thoughts – but then she bites down on her lip, her eyebrows knitting together in a nervous determination. I smile at them, but with my own nervousness raging inside me, it's rather forced.

"So, I guess this means we'll all be applying to take the exams then, huh?" I say, a little quietly. But all the same, they all still nod.

The next couple of days pass without any major interruptions. When I'd learned that the rest of the participants for the Chūnin Exams were to be arriving the night before they began, I'd been quick to run to the end of the path leading from my home to the front gates to see them all. I'd also learned in that same time that Shinobi from all of the Five Great Ninja Nations are coming here – I'd see all the different headband designs from the places I couldn't pass through on my way here four months ago. And for the one place I hadn't had the time to stop and stick around to see them, there's someone from it, here.

The Hidden Snow.

I'd immediately started sweating when she and her two male teammates pass through the width of the gates, their eyes focused on the road ahead of them. My heart's beating like crazy, faster than any other time it's beaten before. A man wearing a loose, pale blue outfit and sporting the same headband design as the other three jogs through the gates after them and right past me, until he stops, his eyes having turned in my direction at the last second.

I stiffen on the spot, my arms coming up in front of me to – to what? Block my face? Protect me? From what? He doesn't know who I am? Right? But even if he doesn't, he still stares at me, his lips parted, his eyebrows furrowed with some strange emotion I can't properly place, nor do I want to try to.

"Are you coming, or what?" the girl of his group shouts, still walking further down the path. And the man jumps a little, but his deep green eyes stay on me.

"I'll join you shortly," he says off to the side, and my heart flutters with panic now. In my peripheral vision, I see the woman shrug. The man finally blinks, and, so do I, I think.

"What... do you want?" I ask him after a moment of awkward silence between us. He flinches away from me when I'd waved at him, worried he hadn't heard me.

"I-I apologize," he rasps out, hands raised and taking a step back. "I... didn't mean to stare like that. You just... remind me of someone I once knew and I couldn't help myself."

"O-Oh," I stammer, though the nervousness I'd just been experiencing is starting to disappear. "Has it... been a long time since you saw them?"

Though it's sad, the man smiles. "A little over six years," he answers. "My beloved sister." I'm stunned into silence again when he starts tearing up. "Excuse me, then; I should get back... to my students."

I nod, a little jerkily. "S-Sure."

I watch him quickly walk away, hurrying after them down the path into the village. I just barely sense a presence behind me until their long black hair swishes into the corner of my vision. I jump, stepping several feet away from them to get a good look at the stranger. The top of his head is covered by a straw hat with a long tag attached to it. I instantly pale, having read the characters written on it.

"It's rather interesting that there are participants from the Land of Snow here this year," the Grass Shinobi says, his lips quirking upward. "There must be a reason, hm?"

"I-I wouldn't know about that," I say quietly, carefully bracing myself.

"No?"

I shake my head. "H-He seems awfully weepy – I wonder if his team is the same way."

"You're awfully naïve and dimwitted, aren't you," the man states; I flinch up at him for his double insult on my behalf. "You should recognize a lie when you see it."

"A lie?" I repeat, confused.

"Mhm. At any rate, be careful of who you find yourself near." Chuckling, the man pats my shoulder before continuing down the path with the other arrivals – I'm startled when his fingertips touch my bare neck. I'd opened my mouth to tell him off, but he'd already disappeared, too. In his place, where he'd touch, has remained a strong burning sensation that also quickly fades.

W-What on earth...?

It's getting a little too dark out for my liking. After that Grass Shinobi's strange warning, maybe it hadn't been such a great idea for me to go on a walk for take out instead of just going home to cook. I'd only wanted to breathe some before tomorrow's initial portion of the Chūnin Exams and doing so has only gotten me wandering into an area of the village I don't recognize.

"Wrong turn," I realize. Peering around the next corner, I sigh in relief to find it empty after a strange chill swept up under my jacket. It's almost... chakra-like. A... Am I being followed? Who'd want to follow me?

Well, apparently, someone does.

I spin around, incidentally kicking dust and dirt up into the air that barely deters the dark figure that'd been reaching out for me. I quickly throw myself into a rally of several backflips that has me coveting the dead end portion of the street, tucked between two larger buildings that hide the moon from my view. My eyes, fully adjusted to the darkness, help register them as being over around a foot taller than me, covered from head-to-toe in a dark cloak, a large hat, and dark boots. I swallow, my anxieties rising, when I realize he's laughing.

"Who are you?" I demand. "Are you having fun, following a kid around?"

"Just checking out the competition," he says. The voice is male, which narrows down about half the population of the village, including the new arrivals for the Chūnin Exams. "And you don't seem like much."

"Then you must be stupid if you think you can stalk the "competition" and get away with it," I snap. "You can either leave this village, or I'll be happy to make you."

"If I heard you right, you said "our" village, yes?"

"Yeah?" I narrow my eyes at him. "And?"

"You're not from here, are you?" The last tether on my patience – not that I had many at the beginning of this – breaks away, and I rush the cloaked man.

"What of it?!" I shout, sending chakra to my feet to launch myself above him. "What business of it is yours?!"

Forcing my weight down, I drop my leg down onto his outstretched and braced arm as he attempts to block me.

"The Hidden Leaf is my home!" I grab onto the rim of his metal glove for leverage and throw my other leg into the night air— "It used to be and it is again!" – and launch my knee into the back of his head, knocking his hat off in the process and causing him to stumble forward. "And whatever you're up to—" I lift my other leg off his arm and loop it around his neck "—it ends—" and twist my body forward and down, throwing him to the ground before us "—here!"

I safely roll away from the man, panting. The man's groans turn into a laugh, though it's strained.

"J-Just what I'd expect from a student of K-Kakashi!" he chortles. Something around me wavers, and I realize finally what'd been so strange about what I'd sensed before. I stand quickly before he has a chance to move, himself, and step next to his "head".

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei—" there's a pop and a hiss that's heard when his fake neck snaps and his body disappears from underneath me "—but Kakashi-sensei didn't teach me this. Makara did."

Updated June 29th, 2021 | 8,300 words